Once Upon A True Love Wish
by RhysMerilot
Summary: A young boy makes a wish upon a star one lonely night for his mother to find her one true love, but little does he know, the woman who gave him up for adoption just so happens to be the One True Love his mother had unknowingly been searching for all her life…and life takes a turn nobody ever expects...
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Notes: This story is set before the series begins and it branches off into AU very quickly. There will be some canon elements, but majority of it will be stemmed from this crazy little imagination of mine, the muse guiding it in ways even I can't control and twisting canon left and right. Enjoy and if you like what you read, do let me know as it will be much appreciated as I dip my toes into the OUAT fandom :)_**

* * *

As the late summer sun lowered in the sky over Storybrooke, Maine, and the very last sunbeams disappeared beyond the horizon, nine year old Henry Mills sat at his bedroom window and let out a solemn sigh. His mother had returned home from her date early and it hurt him deep down inside to see the gutted look in her tearful eyes as she sent him off to his room so he wouldn't have to watch the emotional breakdown that would surely follow.

He didn't have to be there to know what she was going through. He knew. A son always knew what his mother was feeling even if he didn't see it from his very own eyes.

He may just be a child, but he knew loneliness when he saw it and his mother was definitely lonely, even with him. Maybe it wasn't enough for her, maybe she needed someone else, someone to love and to love her back in all the ways no man had ever loved her before.

Henry longed for a family much like his classmates at school had. A mother and a father. Maybe even a sister or a brother too. He had always felt, in his short life, that something else was missing in his life and it was family. A complete family, two parents, and a house filled with warmth and kindness and love and happiness. It was his wish, a wish he'd never shared with anyone before, a wish that seemed so utterly impossible to come true.

But, deep down, he believed in magic, because believing in magic meant that anything was possible, that anything and everything could happen. Believing in magic meant believing in true love; that there was someone out there for anyone, even his mother.

He frowned as he could faintly hear the sounds of his mother crying in her bedroom across the hall. It broke his already fragile little heart even more and he wiped away a single tear, turning his eyes up towards the darkening sky outside.

His head cocked to the side as he saw the first star faintly twinkling in the sky. Believing in magic, he knew that to wish upon the first star to appear in the night sky meant that wish could come true if he wanted it badly enough. And he did. He wanted his mother to find her one true love, he wanted her to be happy, he wanted the tears to stop, and for her to smile again.

"I wish…I wish my mother could find her one true love. To be happy again. It's all I want. More than anything. I wish for my mother's one true love will show up here in Storybrooke and who will make her believe in happiness and love again."

His voice, but a soft whisper and he watched as the star twinkled more brightly in the night sky and for a moment, it was still the only star as far as the eye could see, and then it was joined by others and he let out another solemn sigh as another single tear rolled down his cheek.

Little did he know, his wish came true, and no matter what he believed or what he imagined could be, he did not know the many ways not only his mother's life would change, but the ways his would too. All because of a selfless wish made upon a star…

* * *

Music blasted from the car radio as Emma Swan drove down the winding streets of rural Maine, no town for miles in each direction, nothing between her and the open road. With no destination in mind, all of her possessions in the backseat of her car, she had not a single care in the world and the only thing driving her on was to find herself a brand new life in a brand new city, somewhere far from anywhere else she'd ever been before.

As she drove around a wide bend, the old yellow Bug shuddered and came to a rolling stop. Confused, she looked at the dash as the music died out and the headlights flickered before turning off completely.

"Damn it, what now?" Emma said as she thumped her palms against the steering wheel.

She tried to start the car, the engine sputtering and whining in protest every time she turned the key in the ignition. Thumping her fists against the steering wheel again, she reached into the glovebox and pulled out her flashlight before she climbed out of the car and popped the hood. Steam hissed as she lifted the hood and she groaned loudly, turning to look up the road and back in the direction she had come from. Nothing for miles. No street lights, no signs, and not one single car had passed her in the last hour, now that she'd thought of it.

Pulling her cell phone out of the front pocket of her red leather jacket, she held it up, watching as the bars went from five, to two, to none. "Great," she muttered as she pocketed the phone and looked back up the road again. "Just great."

Emma walked back over to the car and grabbed her bag out from the back seat. She slipped the keys out of the ignition and locked the door, slamming it shut with her foot as she slung the strap of her bag over her left shoulder. Sighing heavily, she started to walk up the side of the quiet, dark road, the light from the flashlight dancing over the pavement a few feet in front of her. She stopped as she heard howling off in the distance in the woods that surround her and she shuddered, wondering if walking to find help was suddenly a very bad idea.

She shone her light up the road a little ways and she saw the sign just off to the side. "Storybrooke?" Emma said quietly as she approached the sign tentatively. "Must have missed this one on the map," she said under her breath and she continued walking along the side of the road and over a small bridge, the lights from the town ahead brightening the sky up ahead.

Emma shifted the strap on her shoulder as she walked down the street, stopping as the Sheriff's car pulled to a stop just a few feet in front of her. She smiled politely as the Sheriff climbed out of the car and re-adjusted his belt, smiling at her as he approached.

"Are you lost, ma'am?"

"My car broke down a little ways back," Emma replied, hitching a thumb over her shoulder. "I would've called for help, but, no service on my cell, unfortunately."

"That is unfortunate," he chuckled. "I'm Sheriff Graham." He retracted his hand when his handshake wasn't retaliated. "Can I be of assistance, ma'am?"

"I—"

"I can take you to the Marine Garage and have Billy come and tow your car into town. He'll have it fixed up for you in a couple of days, no problem."

"Uh, thanks," Emma said with a small smile.

Sheriff Graham chuckled as he motioned for her to follow him to his car. With a heavy sigh, she follows him and can't stop the eye roll that went unseen by him as he opened the passenger door for her. She let the strap of her bag slip down her shoulder as she climbed in the car, smiling politely at the Sheriff as he shut the door and jogged around to the drivers side. He turned off the police scanner as he shut the door and he quickly turned the car around, heading into town, awkward silence filling the car between the two strangers.

"I didn't catch your name."

"I never gave it," Emma replied as he came to a stop at a red light. "Emma Swan."

"And what brings you to Storybrooke, Emma Swan?"

"Passing through, or trying to," she replied honestly, choosing to keep the fact she'd failed to spot the town on the map when she'd checked it just an hour earlier. "Hopefully I won't be staying for very long, Sheriff Graham."

"Got someplace else to be, Ms. Swan?"

"Something like that."

The Sheriff smiled at her and turned left as the light turned green. As the awkward silence returned, Emma turned her attention to the town as he drove slowly down the street. Shops lined either side and people walked down the street with happy smiles on their faces, some even nodding at the car as the Sheriff drove by. He made another turn before coming to a stop in front of the Marine Garage and hopped out.

Emma followed him into the garage and after she gave her name and information, along with her keys to the mechanic named Billy, she declined the Sheriff's offer for further assistance. She was left to wander the small, charming town alone.

In hindsight, there truly wasn't much to explore as she quickly discovered. Her journey through the town brought her walking past Granny's diner and her stomach reminded her it had been over half a day since she'd eaten last. Unable to deny the delicious smells of diner food wafting out from the restaurant, she headed inside and took a seat at the counter.

Chatter from the customers filled the diner and Emma didn't fail to notice a few wayward glances cast her way. An elderly woman approached her from behind the counter, smiling as she slid a menu towards her.

"When you're ready to order, let me know, dear."

"Thanks," Emma smiled at the woman and looked over the menu quickly. "I'll have a whisky, straight."

"Coming right up," the woman smiled at her, placing a small glass on a napkin in front of her and reaching for an unlabelled bottle behind her. "New in town or passing through?"

"Car trouble," Emma replied and she lifted the glass. "Thanks."

She sipped her drink, sighing heavily as thunder rumbled outside, a storm quickly approaching. Her head was pounding, her stomach empty, and the chatter of the customers made her head spin. She took another sip, exhaling sharply as she scanned over the menu again.

"Try the burger."

"Sheriff," she said in surprise as he sat down on the stool next to her.

"Granny's burgers are the best you'll ever have, no arguments there," he smiled at her and nodded a silent hello to the woman behind the counter as she tended to another customer.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Emma watched as he smacked his hand on the counter before slipping off the stool and sitting down in one of the empty booths. She breathed a sigh of relief and sipped her drink in comfortable solitude. Her stomach rumbled, once again reminding her of her hunger and after debating about whether to take the Sheriff's recommendation, she ordered one of the burgers with a side of fresh cut fries.

As the minutes ticked by into hours, Emma ordered her last drink, her third, as the diner grew empty, each customer leaving after their bills paid, bidding a friendly and pleasant goodnight to the woman working behind the counter.

"Do you have a place to stay, dear?"

"Uh," Emma paused as she stared at the woman across from her. "Uh, no, actually. I…I was hoping maybe my car would be fixed sooner rather than later. Apparently, that's not happening tonight. Do you know of a motel nearby I can—"

"I own the bed and breakfast in the back," she smiled warmly. "I can set you up for a room for as long as you're staying here in Storybrooke. It is, after all, the only place to stay while you're here in Storybrooke."

"Thank you…"

"Granny."

"The infamous Granny," Emma chuckled and upon the woman's distain look, she pointed to the sign. "Right. So, how about that room, hmm?"

* * *

Emma pulled the rose coloured comforter over her head as the early morning sunlight streamed in through the windows. The sound of birds chirping happily flowed in through the partially open window and she groaned again, wanting nothing more than to sleep just a little bit longer.

"All right, all right, I'm up," Emma muttered as the birds sang their happy song even louder outside the window. She picked up her cell off the nightstand and found the battery dead, her charger still in her car. "Damn it. That's just…perfect."

Still half awake with a plan already unfolding in place, Emma showered and changed before she headed down to the diner for some coffee and breakfast. Just like the night before, the diner was bustling with customers, the same customers that had been there last night. Chalking it off to a small town, one diner town, she took a seat by the window and ordered her breakfast from the brunette-haired girl who greeted her with a smile and a cheery good morning.

_Is everyone in this town always so happy?_ She wondered as she spotted a newspaper on the empty table next to hers and snatched it, feeling like she needed to get her mind off of being stranded in a small town she'd never heard of with no car and a dead cell phone and overly happy, friendly people all around her.

"Mom, please?" A young boy whined as the door opened near her. The pleading tone in the boy's voice made Emma look up at the woman he followed to a booth along the far wall.

"Not today, Henry, I told you. I have meetings all day. You're lucky I have time to take you for breakfast this morning."

Emma raised an eyebrow, turning her attention back to the paper laid out in front of her.

"But, Mom, you promised me we could spend the day together. You _promised_!"

"Henry, please," she groaned and she snapped her fingers at the waitress who had greeted Emma a few moments before. "Ruby, can we have two breakfast specials, please? Make it quick too? I have a meeting that I cannot be late for in half an hour."

"Of course, Madam Mayor," Ruby smiled, scribbling down the order on her pad before heading back to the kitchen.

Emma couldn't help but feel drawn to the young boy and his high-strung mother, who seemed to have her mind on everything else but enjoying breakfast with her son. Her attention danced between the newspaper and the boy with his mother, and to the other customers sitting at the counter and in the booths, each and every one of them starting their day off in Granny's diner on that sunny late August morning.

The boy and his mother were served long before her breakfast plate made it to her own table, but even as hungry as she was, she didn't mind much, finding the mundane musings of the news happening around the small town in the paper far more intriguing than they were. Storybrooke, as she found out after a few articles, was truly a close-knitted small town, the kind where everyone seemed to know everyone else that lived there and always had such a sunny disposition about their mundane, normal lives.

Definitely a far cry from all the places she'd been throughout her life, that was for sure.

"Uh, Ruby, is it?" Emma asked as her empty plate was cleared away.

"Yeah, Emma right?" Ruby asked, popping the piece of gum she chewed on loudly. "Granny said you checked in last night."

"Right, um, which way is it to the Marine Garage from here? I'm—"

"New in town, just travelling through," Ruby finished and she scribbled down quickly on her pad of paper and tore it off, handing it to Emma with a dazzling smile. "You can't miss it. Do you want me to put your meal on your bill?"

"I…sure, that'd be great," Emma said with a smile and grabbed her jacket and headed out the door, nearly running straight into the boy and his high-strung mother on the sidewalk as she struggled to read the directions to the garage Ruby had given her. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Apparently," the woman said through gritted teeth and she turned to look down at her son. "Run along now, Henry. Dr. Hopper is expecting you this morning."

"Mom…"

"Now, Henry, go on. I'll see you when I get home tonight."

The boy grumbled under his breath, stopping to look both ways on the street before walking across. Emma watched him curiously before turning her attention back to the woman, who was fumbling to get her car keys out of her purse. Emma stammered as she tried to apologize again, but the woman had already turned on her heels and was approaching the black Mercedes Benz that was parked nearby. She stood and watched the woman as she drove off and with a shake of her head, she followed the directions given to her to check on the status of her car at the garage.

"What was the name?" The man behind the counter asked for a third time, wiping his greasy hands on an equally greasy rag.

"Swan. Emma Swan. My car broke down just outside of town last night and it was towed here to be repaired."

"Ah," he muttered as he checked through a clipboard he'd grabbed off the wall beside him. "Right. The yellow Bug," he said and he sucked in a breath of air sharply. "Dead."

"Excuse me?"

"The engine?" He said, speaking slowly. "It's dead, Ms. Swan."

"How much?"

"How much for what?"

"To repair it," Emma replied, enunciating her words as he had just done to her. "How much is it going to cost me for you to fix it?"

"An engine rebuild with foreign parts?" He asked and he whistled loudly, making her ears ring as Billy, the man who had towed her car joined them at the desk. "How much you reckon to rebuild the engine on the Bug?"

"Couple grand, three at least."

"Three grand?" Emma groaned as she hit her palm against the doorjamb. She didn't have a couple grand to spare to fix her car. She barely had enough to make it on the road for more than a week and to find herself someplace new to start the next chapter of her life.

"Better off scrapping it and buying yourself a more reliable used car for the price it'll cost to fix that lemon."

"That _lemon_ has never broken down on me, not once in the last ten years I've been driving it," Emma said angrily and between the two men and the looks they exchanged, she knew she wasn't getting anywhere with them. "Fine. I'll pay whatever it costs to fix it. How long?"

"How long do ya figure it'll take, Billy?"

"Couple of weeks to order and ship the parts, maybe two weeks after that to rebuild it, depending on how busy the shop is. I'd say close to a month, Michael."

"Is that right?"

"Sounds just about right, yeah."

A month? She couldn't stay there for a month and afford to pay for her car repairs, not to mention the bill at Granny's Bed and Breakfast on top of it. She was screwed. Royally screwed and stranded in a town she'd never even heard of before or even saw on the map that was tucked away under the driver's seat.

"What is it then, Ms. Swan?" Michael asked her, wiping his hands on the greasy rag again, a move that she spotted as a nervous tick. "Do ya want the car fixed or not?"

"Yes, I do," Emma replied with a heavy sigh. "I need to get a few things out from my car. Do you mind?"

"Billy, show her where her car is waiting and have her fill out that invoice while you're at it too, will ya?"

"I already gave you my information."

"Make sure she pays the deposit, too!"

"Come on," Billy said, offering her a friendly smile as he led her around to the back parking lot where her car was parked. "Don't mind him. It's early. It's Saturday and well, between you and me, he spends too much time at The Rabbit Hole. He's not the most pleasant man this early in the morning."

"I know the feeling…"

Billy just smiled sympathetically as he handed her the keys.

* * *

It was the lunch rush at the diner and Emma sat at the same table as that morning, flipping through the two pages of classifieds in the back of the newspaper, her eyes scanning over the scarce amount of job postings in town, none of which she was qualified for considering her last job had been as a bail-bondsperson in Boston. Only one listing caught her eye, an ad looking for a bartender at The Rabbit Hole. The others were tradesman jobs looking for skills not even she could fake having just to land a job for the month she'd be stuck in town.

Emma absentmindedly tapped the pen she held between her fingers on the paper, the tip of the pen hovering over the ad at for The Rabbit Hole every so often. There was no number, just a request to apply in person. She'd walked past the establishment on her way back to Granny's Diner, and it had been more or less a resemblance of some of the dive bars she'd ended up working at or drinking in during her early twenties. Did she really want to go back to that life? Did she even have a choice? She needed the money to fix her car so she could get out of town sooner rather than later, start her life somewhere else, somewhere new, in a big city teeming with opportunities Storybrooke definitely didn't offer.

"Hey," Ruby said as she held the pot of coffee and smiled as Emma lifted her head to look at her. "Are you ready to order?"

"I'll just have another coffee for now, Ruby, thanks."

"Searching for something?"

"Something that doesn't appear to be in here," Emma replied with a dry chuckle.

"Jobs are kind of hard to come by here," Ruby replied and she placed the coffee pot on the empty table next to them and took the seat across from Emma. "Are you planning to stay in town?"

"Just until my car is fixed," Emma replied. "And the only prospective job available is one down at The Rabbit Hole."

Ruby stifled a chuckle as she shook her head no. "Trust me, you don't want to work there. Anywhere but there."

"Well, unless I can pass myself off as a skilled roofer, I think I'm pretty much out of luck on the job front. Not to mention broke if I ever want to get out of this town."

"What did you do before?" Ruby asked and from the way the woman seemed so interested in her, Emma couldn't just brush her off in a way she normally did with people who tried to pry into her life that way. "I mean, before you came here?"

"I worked as a bail-bondsperson."

"You did?"

"I did," Emma smiled and she placed the pen down on the paper and picked up her hot mug of coffee. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's tracking people down."

"Really? That sounds so exciting."

"It can be at times."

"Did you ever chase someone down, I mean, physically?" Ruby asked, genuinely interested in hearing her story as she leaned forward on the table. "Did you ever have to, I don't know, beat someone up because they tried to run away from you?"

Emma laughed and nodded, but her stories weren't easily or even readily shared with perfect strangers she'd just met. Ruby was different than most women she met that were around her age. There was a sense of sweetness and a wild side Emma had no doubt was hardly tame, but there was something else, something she quite couldn't put her finger on. Before she could come up with an vague answer to her question, Granny cleared her throat from behind the counter, a stern finger beckoning Ruby back to work.

"Duty calls."

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll have the lunch special," Emma smiled and it was one that was returned as Ruby grabbed the pot of coffee and headed back to work.

Emma flicked her eyes back down to the paper and groaned as she flipped it shut. She wrapped both hands around her mug and took in the busy diner as the tables, booths and the stools along counter filled up with customers.

Despite the lack of opportunity that presented itself in Storybrooke, Emma knew she'd figure something out. She always did, one way or another.

* * *

Regina Mills sat behind her desk in her office, stacks of papers laying out in front of her, virtually untouched. Her so-called date with Sheriff Graham the night before had ended well before it had started. While she was looking for something a tad more formal to evolve between them than the sordid affair they were carrying out beyond closed doors, he had other ideas and had simply given her an ultimatum; continue what they had together or it ended then and there.

And she'd chosen to end things, unable to carry on feeling nothing more than a conquest, a mistress of sorts to the town's sheriff. It had broken her heart, yet it made her question her motives when it came to Graham. Did she love him? No. She cared deeply for him, longed for his affection, but love it was not. The two had had an understanding for far too long, their affair stemmed on lust and not love. It truly wasn't love. Love was something she'd sought for far too long, never finding it in any of the men she had briefly dated.

Her mind wasn't solely on the night before, not after the brief run-in at Granny's Diner with the mysterious new stranger in town. She had been so caught up in her distraught state and her mind on other affairs, she hadn't paused to ask the stranger new in town her name. It piqued her curiosity and thoughts of the woman settled deep in her mind as she tried to focus on her work and the stacks of papers she needed to get signed and handed over to the town council before the meeting in just a few short hours.

Pinching at the bridge of her nose, she rose from her chair and turned to look out the window. Despite the heartbreak she'd encountered the night before, she'd woken up feeling as if that pain was no longer settled in her heart, that dejection and disappointment and loss, gone. What had changed over the course of the night? What was it that she was missing?

Or was it all true what the people in town said of her, that her heart was black as coal and cold, unable to love anyone other than herself and her son? Regina wasn't blind. She knew how she came across to the people in her town and she knew that she'd never once tried to change their opinions of her.

"Mom?" Henry asked quietly as he knocked on the partially open door. "Are you busy? Can I come in?"

"What is it, Henry?"

"I thought maybe we can have lunch together?"

Regina sighed as she stared into the hopeful hazel eyes gazing up at her. They'd been growing distant over the last few years, something she hadn't truly seen until she spent the last handful of hours contemplating all aspects of her complicated life. She smiled as she grabbed her purse and placed a gentle hand on the top of his head, playfully mussing his hair as he managed a thin smile back up at her.

"Lunch it is," Regina said as she let Henry lead the way out of her office. "How did your appointment go with Dr. Hopper this morning, Henry?"

"It was okay," he shrugged and they turned down the stairs, neither speaking until they were in Regina's car. "Mom?"

"Yes, Henry?"

"I—it's nothing."

"What is it?" Regina asked as she slipped the key into the ignition but didn't start the car. "Whatever it is you need to ask me, you know you can talk to me about anything."

Henry smiled a half smile and shook his head. "It's nothing, Mom, really. I'm just happy."

"About what, Henry?"

"Spending time with you, just like you promised we would."

Regina smiled warmly as she turned over the engine and backed out of her spot. The drive to Granny's Diner was a short one, but it was one that had her mind filled with a hundred different thoughts, just as it had been from the moment she'd woke up early that morning.

There was no denying there was change in the air, she could feel it all around her. Just what it was, it almost terrified her because change was not something Regina Mills was used to, because change denoted the fact she wasn't as in control of her life as she thought she was. And there was nothing more terrifying to her than not being in control.

The diner was filled with its usual slew of regular lunchtime customers as they entered. Regina allowed Henry to run off to their usual booth ahead of her and she joined him, smiling at Ruby as she approached their table. The usual banter flowed between Ruby and Henry easily, but Regina wasn't paying attention to them, not as her eyes caught sight of the blonde stranger sitting at the table by the door.

She was mesmerized as she allowed herself to stare at the blonde stranger, watching her as she chewed on the cap of her pen, her fingers fiddling with the paper that laid out in front of her, a look of confusion and disappointment splayed across her features. There was a sense of familiarity about the woman, something Regina just couldn't quite put her finger on.

And it truly intrigued her, more so than it had all morning, about just who this mysterious blonde-haired stranger was and just what she was doing there in Storybrooke. One way or another, she knew she'd find out, for strangers in Storybrooke were far and few between.


	2. Chapter 2

By late afternoon, Emma Swan found herself perched on the ledge of the wooden castle play structure down by the water. Despite the warm, sunny afternoon, there was not a single child in sight, nor any other living soul other than herself down there at the small park. The silence was almost comforting and such a stark contrast to her life back in Boston—or any of the cities she'd temporarily called home over many years of her life.

Not one place had ever felt like home and yet, less than twenty-four hours in Storybrooke, she was feeling something growing inside of her, a feeling she'd never quite had before in all her life. A sense of that she was home, finally home, and yet as atrocious as that thought was, she couldn't shake that feeling away.

"I guess this really isn't my special place if someone else knows about it."

"Hey, kid," Emma smiled down at the boy, the mayor's son Henry, a boy she'd seen only in passing twice. "Are you here by yourself? Aren't you a bit too young to be walking around, going places without an adult watching you?"

"I'm nine," He shrugged as he climbed up the structure and sat himself down beside her, his legs dangling over the edge much like her own. "And my name isn't kid, I'm Henry Mills."

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk to strangers, Henry?"

"There aren't ever any strangers in Storybrooke," he said in a matter of fact tone followed by a smile. "I know who you are."

"You do, do you?" Emma asked, quirking an eyebrow as she stared down at the brown-haired boy. "I guess that'd make one of us, since I don't know who you are, kid."

"I just told you," he sighed exasperatedly.

"You're the Mayor's kid," Emma said as she remembered Ruby, the waitress, addressing his mother as 'Madam Mayor'. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"It's Saturday."

"Right." Emma grew silent as she stared down at the sand below. "So, kid, who am I then?"

"You're Emma Swan."

She laughed as she raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you know that?"

"I just do."

She laughed again before she hopped down from the structure, her feet landing hard in the sand below. Choosing not to read too much into what Henry was trying to instigate, she motioned for him to climb down from the structure before she started to walk towards the road that led back into town.

"Where are we going?"

"There is no _we_, kid," Emma replied tightly. "I am taking you home."

"But why?"

"You're nine."

"I know."

She led the way back into town, choosing to ignore the wistful way Henry looked up at her, choosing to ignore the familiar feeling she felt around the kid, choosing to ignore the very obvious similarities in him to a man she once knew and briefly loved nearly ten years ago. It wasn't possible. There was absolutely no way. The very thought of it, she forced straight back out of her mind, feeling uneasy just thinking of what the odds were that she unintentionally ran into the very same child she'd given up for adoption almost nine and a half years ago.

Emma stopped as they reached the corner and turned to look down at Henry, who was still sporting that same smile and wistful look in his eyes every time they paused to look at one another. She ran her hands through her blonde hair and sighed as she knelt down on the ground in front of him.

"Where's home, kid?"

"My mom is working still. Nobody is home."

"If your mother is working, why aren't you with a babysitter?"

"I don't want one," he replied, sticking out his lower lip in a slight pout. "I'm _nine_."

"So you keep saying. Come on, how about we go over to Granny's and I'll treat you to a chocolate milkshake?" Emma asked him and he grinned brightly as he tried to reach out for her hand, one she quickly pulled away and slid inside her jacket pocket.

Truthfully, she felt uneasy leaving the kid alone, without adult supervision, although it reminded her so much of her own childhood in the smallest of ways and the fact that she'd learned from a very young age how to take care of herself. But Henry wasn't her, he had a mother, a home, and as far as she was concerned, a kid his age shouldn't be left alone to do as he pleased, to come and go without answering to an adult that kept a close eye on him and any antics he'd find himself getting into.

"Hi, Ruby," Henry greeted the brunette waitress as they took a seat at the counter.

"I see you made a new friend," Ruby said with a wink and she smiled as Emma shrugged off her jacket and placed it on the stool to her left.

"Yep, I sure did."

"He was asking about you earlier," Ruby said as she motioned to the other waitress to bring over a chocolate milkshake and a water when Emma just shook her head. "He's persistent."

"I can tell," Emma chuckled as she glanced at Henry who was already busy sipping at his tall milkshake. Emma leaned forward towards Ruby and frowned. "Does he always go off on his own when his mother is working?"

"Uh, sometimes yeah. Everyone in town kind of, keeps an eye on him. He keeps insisting he's too old to have a babysitter."

"He's nine."

"I know," Ruby nodded and she placed the ice cold glass of water in front of Emma. "It's an issue we just don't raise with his mother."

"Why not?"

"Everyone is afraid of her," Ruby whispered just quietly enough so Henry wouldn't hear her over the annoying slurping sound he made with his straw. "She can be…quite cruel if you get on her bad side, if you know what I mean…"

Emma hummed under her breath in understanding. From the interaction she'd watched over breakfast and the lack of over the lunch hour when she'd seen the two come in for the second time that day, she knew there was something definitely off-putting about the woman, despite the fact that the tone she'd raised with Henry at times, it was evident she adored her son.

"I know my mom can be kind of mean," Henry said as he looked at Ruby and then at Emma. "It isn't a secret."

"Honey, she's just busy all the time," Ruby said sincerely. "When you grow up and have a job, a career, you'll know that sometimes adults get stressed out and—"

"Her date didn't go too good last night," Henry said offhandedly.

"Regina had a date?" Ruby asked and the genuine surprise on her face told Emma a lot more than she needed to know about the Mayor with just one look. "With who, do you know?"

"You know my mom, she never says. Hey, Emma?" Henry said as he turned on the stool to look at her. "Do you think we can get something to eat?"

"What would you like?"

"We have fresh pecan pie," Ruby offered helpfully. "Part of today's special. What do you think, Henry?"

He smiled brightly, going back to sipping his milkshake and Emma nodded, holding up two fingers as she sipped her water and stared at Henry curiously. He certainly didn't have a problem holding back and speaking his mind, that much was for sure. She still couldn't stop thinking of the similarities, not just to a man she knew a long time ago, but with herself as well.

_Stop it. He's not the son you gave up for adoption nine years ago. It's just a coincidence he'd be around the same age as that baby boy you so readily gave up that day_…

It was just a coincidence, that was all, but even then, she wasn't entirely convinced. Her thoughts were filled of what ifs that she couldn't seem to ignore. There were ways she could find out for herself, but that would mean breaking the agreement she'd signed when she handed the baby over to the private adoption agency and signed the closed adoption forms. It meant no contact what so ever, no personal information would ever be released to both parties. A closed adoption meant just that and that baby never would be hers again.

Long after they finished their pie, they sat in the diner with Emma listening to Henry and Ruby as they talked and joked and laughed together. Not even Granny seemed perplexed or even annoyed that Ruby wasn't working as she should've been, in fact it seemed like anyone who interacted with Henry treated him like he was a friend, a part of their family. It was certainly something she'd never seen in other towns or even in the big cities.

The steady, solid tap-tap of a cane joined the rhythmic steps of a man as he strolled into the diner like he owned it, and Emma couldn't help but feel like he did. From the expressions on Ruby and Henry's faces, she knew this man exuded power and it frightened them. She clenched her jaw as she turned on the stool to look at him and was only greeted, not by the cold-hearted stare she expected, but by a warm, friendly smile that matched the other ones she'd seen since she ended up in town.

"Mr. Gold," Granny greeted him, a snarl in her voice. She reached out beneath the register and pulled out a small envelope, thick with bills. "It's all there."

"As always," he replied, a cold smile dancing over his lips as he accepted the offered envelope. "And the rest?"

"The rest?"

"The rest," he repeated, his eyes focused on count in the bills inside the envelope. "It seems to be a bit…light."

Emma didn't miss the look that Henry shot at the man, a look that went unnoticed by anyone other than herself.

"And just who may this be?" He asked as he turned to Emma, a cold smile dancing over his lips.

"Emma Swan," she replied, staring hard at him.

"And what brings you to town, Emma Swan?"

"Car trouble," she replied flatly.

"I see," he chuckled and he took her hand in his for a gentle yet firm handshake. "Do enjoy your stay, Emma."

She nodded slowly, watching as his attention turned back to Granny still standing behind the counter, a steely look in her eyes as they stood there in silence. She turned to look back at the entrance as the door opened and the echoing click of heels resounded on the linoleum floors as the entire diner fell into silence. Emma slipped off her stool, grabbing her jacket and backed towards the door that led into the Inn.

"Henry, dear, run out to the car. I won't be but a minute."

"Mom…"

"Now," came the stern reply, the coldness sending chills down Emma's spine as she watched Henry dejectedly slide down from the stool and make his way out the door. "Mr. Gold, a word?"

"Certainly," he nodded in reply and cold, hard brown eyes met Emma's before Henry's mother turned on her heels, Mr. Gold following behind her, gingerly tucking the envelope into his breast pocket of his jacket.

Emma looked over at Ruby, over at Granny, and then back at the door as it shut, the sound resonating through the quietness of the diner before small chatter resumed between the customers that were gathered there. Allowing her curiosity to get to the better of her, Emma walked through the hallway and to the door that led out of the Inn, quietly and quickly moving around the building until she heard the hushed voices outside.

"How many times have I asked you not to collect your debts while these businesses are open, Mr. Gold?"

"Regina, rent must be paid one way or another."

"People are already afraid of you in this town as it is, Gold."

"Be as that may, do you honestly think that bothers me, Madam Mayor, when I am not the only one people are afraid of in this town."

"I will give you one more warning. You can collect your debts when each establishment is closed for the day, or perhaps before it opens. One more warning or you'll owe me."

Emma kept her back to the wall, watching the two standing toe to toe, Gold looking far more relaxed than Regina did. Gold chuckled as he pressed back the hair that had fallen over his eyes and he gave a look at even made Emma recoil further against the wall.

"Is that a threat, Regina?"

"Yes," she replied coldly. "A threat and a mere warning. Next time, I won't hesitate to take you down in front of the people you instil such great fear in. You may own this town, Gold, but I still run it and there is nothing you can or will do to change that."

"Now, now, Regina, dear," Gold chuckled dryly as he placed one hand on top of the other one holding onto the cane tightly. "It seems we have a concerning issue amongst us. Must I remind you that _she_ has arrived a year too early."

"What are you talking about?"

"The girl. The stranger in town. Emma," Gold enunciated. "She was not due to arrive until her twenty-eighth birthday to try her hand in breaking the curse. Surely, you must be alarmed, Regina."

Regina scoffed as she stepped around him, pausing on the walkway to look back at him. "I have absolutely no idea what you are referring to, Mr. Gold. A curse? The only curse in this town is that the people here have to deal with you."

"Do you even know who _she_ is, my Queen?"

"Queen?" Regina laughed callously as she walked back up to him. "I have no idea what the hell you are talking about right now, Gold. I suggest maybe you pay Dr. Hopper a visit. Delusions of a curse, a girl here to break it and now you just called me your queen?"

"What are you instigating?"

"You. Are. Crazy. You need _help_," Regina said simply, grinning as she backed away from him and turned on her heels swiftly and stopped in time to come fast to face with Henry. "I told you to wait in the car!"

"But, Mom!"

"But nothing! Come now, Henry, we're going home," she said as they walked towards the street. She paused to look back at Gold and shook her head with a look of disgust before urging Henry to get back into the car parked out front.

"Curious," Gold said under his breath and he turned, looking straight at Emma as she quickly pressed herself back up against the wall, just out of sight. "Curious indeed."

Emma's eyebrow twitched as she held her breath, waiting to be confronted by the man, but that never came and as the sound of his cane clacking against the pavement grew fainter and fainter, she exhaled sharply, her mind going over everything she had just seen transpire between the two.

* * *

Regina paced the kitchen floor, faintly hearing the sounds of Henry up in his bedroom getting ready for bed. She wrung her hands as her heels clacked against the tiled floor and she sighed, her breath shaky as she walked into the den and poured herself a strong drink into a small crystal glass.

Something was wrong, very wrong, and she couldn't quite figure out just what it was. Her encounter with Gold had left her frazzled, something that she knew deep down _never_ happened to her. She sipped her drink, grimacing at the burn the whisky gave her as she swallowed it roughly. Interacting with Gold always left her in a trivial mood, but this time was different, far different than all the other times that she could remember.

_Must I remind you that _she_ has arrived a year too early…_

_The girl. The stranger in town. Emma…_

_She was not due to arrive until her twenty-eight birthday to try her hand in breaking the curse. Surely, you must be alarmed, Regina…_

_…__my Queen._

Regina took another sip, inhaling sharply as she placed the glass down on the table next to the bottle of whisky. The conversation had stemmed on crazy, borderline psychotic crazy ramblings of a power-hungry man, but she couldn't deny that it triggered something, something that felt like a memory she couldn't quite grasp.

Moving to her desk, she sat down and traced her fingers over the edge before opening up the lower cabinet to reveal perfectly organized folders inside. As if upon instinct, she pushed the folders towards the back of the drawer and lifted the one that sat on the bottom. A thick folder, one she knew contained everything she'd signed and was given through the adoption agency when she'd adopted Henry. She placed the folder on the desk and closed the drawer, her eyes lingering on it before she trailed her fingers over the edge.

It'd been a few short months since she'd looked at the contents of the folder and a lot of things had been blacked out, important things; even the name of Henry's birth parents. But there were other papers, papers she'd procured illegally, papers that revealed the identity of Henry's birth mother and her last known whereabouts. It was Gold mentioning the name Emma that had made her want to go over the information again.

_Surely it's a coincidence_, she thought to herself as she flipped through the pages and documents before she landed on the one she was looking for. A small gasp escaped past her lips when the picture, although small and slightly out of focus on the black and white copy of the newspaper clipping, she knew it was the woman that had nearly run into her that morning, the same woman she saw during lunch with Henry, the same woman she couldn't take her eyes off of for almost the entire time she'd been there.

Now it was beginning to make sense as to why she couldn't take her eyes off the woman. It hadn't even registered in her mind earlier that day just who she was or who she could be. That sense of familiarity she had felt was because she'd seen this woman's picture before. That sense of familiarity was because this woman, this stranger in town, was Henry's biological mother.

Panic filled her mind as she closed the file and splayed her palms across it firmly. "She's come to take him away from me," she whispered under her breath, her eyes brimming with tears she wouldn't allow to fall. "She'll never take him from me, he's _my_ son."

"Mom?" Henry asked as he stood in the doorway, his hand gripping the edge of the open door while the other sleepily fisted at his tired eyes. "Who are you talking to? Who is going to take me from you?"

"No one is going to take you from me, Henry."

"What did Mr. Gold mean when he said she was early? Was he talking about Emma?"

"What?" Regina stared at her son, unmoving from where he stood. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"I heard you and Mr. Gold talking outside the diner. He said she's a year early. Who is here a year early and what curse was he talking about, Mom?"

"Mr. Gold he—it was just ramblings of a senile man, Henry. I fear he might be suffering from some kind of a mental disease and I'm actually debating whether to have him institutionalized in order for him to get the help he needs."

"Is he…crazy?"

Regina sighed as she rose from her chair and walked over to her son. She ruffled his brown, shaggy hair and smiled down at him. "Don't you worry about Mr. Gold, dear. It's time for you to go to bed."

Regina led the way up the staircase and into Henry's room, smiling warmly at him as he grumbled and protested having to go to bed, whining that he wasn't tired and that he should be allowed to stay up late on a Saturday night. Regina paced the floor of her son's bedroom, watching as he picked up a book from his desk and handed it out towards her.

"Can you read to me, Mom?"

_How many years had it been since I read him a story before bed?_ Regina smiled as she took the offered book and waited for Henry to climb into his bed before she settled down beside him. She traced her fingers over the leather-bound cover before opening it up. It'd been too long since they had a moment like this. Far too long. She smiled at her son, wondering where to start, which story to read, since it was filled with fairytales and not at all what she thought her son would want her to read to him to help him fall asleep.

"Where did you get this?"

"Miss Blanchard gave it to me," Henry replied, stifling a yawn. "It's not like other books, Mom. It's good. It's…just good."

"What would you like me to read to you, Henry?"

"Anything."

Regina smiled at him before flipping through the pages slowly. Her heart clenched with every page, every illustration that was splayed and that she so flippantly flicked past. Henry sighed as she lowered the book down into her lap and turned to look at him.

"Aren't you going to pick one, Mom?"

"There is something I want to talk to you about," Regina began and she closed the book, allowing Henry to take it and she paused as she watched him slide the book under his pillow. He turned to her with a smile on his face. "Do you remember what I told you a long time ago?"

"That I was adopted?"

"Yes," Regina nodded. "You haven't been curious about finding your real parents, have you?"

"No," Henry said and Regina let out a relieved sigh, one that was short-lived. "I know who Emma is, Mom. I know that she's my—"

"Stay away from that woman," Regina said sternly.

"Why?"

"Because she's a stranger, Henry."

"Ruby likes her," Henry said stubbornly. "And she bought me a milkshake and pie. She sat with me at Granny's all afternoon. She's nice and she's funny and I know that she's my real mom."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, she didn't have to, Mom."

"Then how on earth did you come up with the conclusion that this stranger is your real mother, hmm?" Regina asked, her nerves on edge as anger bristled through her body. "Answer me, Henry."

"Are you afraid she's going to take me from you?"

"Henry, answer me."

He folded his arms over his chest and stubbornly turned his head to look away from his mother. Regina climbed off the bed and stormed over to the window, her fists clenched at her side as she stared out into the dark street. She checked the lock on the window before drawing the drapes shut and turned to face her son.

"Answer me. How did you find out about—"

"I found it," he said quietly. "The folder, Mom. I found it and I looked through it and I saw her name, her picture—"

"That is not yours to be looking at!"

"It has my name on it!"

"You had no right!" Regina yelled and she shook her head as she walked to the bedroom door, her fists still clenched at her side. "You will not see or speak to this woman ever again, do you understand me?"

"But, Mom—"

"Do you understand me, Henry?" Regina asked tightly and Henry slowly nodded his head as tears filled his eyes.

"She's really my real Mom, isn't she?"

Regina didn't answer him as she walked out the bedroom and shut the door tightly behind her. She exhaled shakily, her anger flooding through her body at an alarming pace. She ran her fingers through her short hair and headed back downstairs. She grabbed her drink off the table and downed the rest of the whisky as her eyes glanced over at the folder sitting on top of her desk. She grabbed it and walked over to the fire burning in the fireplace, her hands shaking as she clutched onto the thick folder.

It was too late to get rid of it, pointless really. Henry already knew and he'd known before she did that the stranger in town was his real mother. She exhaled slowly as she carried the folder back over to the desk and threw it down, a few of the papers sliding out as she placed her palms against the desk and closed her eyes tight.

Regina smoothed her hands over her skirt and shook her head, her eyes lingering on the papers that had slid out from inside the folder. She quickly gathered the folder back up and placed it in the bottom of the drawer before pulling the other files back over top of it. Her hands were shaking as she poured herself another drink. After she finished her drink and had calmed herself down, she climbed the stairs up to Henry's room and gently nudged the door open.

His bed was empty, his backpack gone and she grabbed the pillow and saw that he had taken the book that he'd placed under there earlier. Stomping a foot on the floor, Regina headed back down the stairs and grabbed her cell phone from the kitchen counter and quickly dialled a number.

"Sheriff Graham," he answered on the second ring. "What can I do for you tonight, Regina?"

"Henry's gone."

* * *

Henry ran down the street, tears burning in his eyes. He had just barely managed to slip out of the house without his mother knowing. He wanted to be anywhere but there, especially after what had happened between them. He never should've told her that he knew who Emma was. He never should've expected her to act out any other way than she did and he knew he definitely shouldn't have told her he'd found that folder in her desk.

Yes, he was curious who his real parents were, but his real father's name wasn't on the birth certificate he'd found and his mother's name had been blacked out. He checked that folder every couple of months and noticed that it kept getting thicker, more papers were added, and then the day he saw the newspaper clipping with his mother's picture and name, that was the day he wanted to go to Boston to find her.

But he was only nine years old. How would he get to Boston without his mother knowing? Every week since he found that newspaper clipping, he saved his allowance, saving up for a bus ticket to Boston. Every week that passed, he was closer to having enough money, and then Emma Swan showed up in town out of nowhere and the first moment he saw her, he knew.

Wishing for his mother's one true love to show up had not been the only wish he'd made, for every night other than last night, he wished upon that first star in the sky for his real mother to come and find him, to take him away from Storybrooke and Regina.

He ran harder down the street, turning down the dead end street that led to his special, secret place. His castle. The one place he felt like he belonged more than anywhere else in town. Tears burned down his cheek as he climbed up the castle and sat in one of the tower corners. He pulled out his flashlight, the dark not bothering him, but he felt safer with it on. He couldn't stop the tears, couldn't stop wishing things had been different. He couldn't stop the anger and the hatred that was growing inside of him against his mother and the way she'd yelled at him had been what made him want to run, to hide, to be anywhere but there.

Henry didn't know how long he'd been hiding in the castle, nor did he know how long he'd been sleeping for, but the sound of footsteps climbing up into the castle was what woke him. He raised the flashlight, fearing it was his mother, that she finally found his secret place, but as the light shone on Emma Swan's face, he just smiled.

"What you doing up here, kid?"

"Hiding."

"You know that your mother has half the town looking for you," Emma said quietly as she sat down next to him.

"Oh?"

"You really oughta go home," Emma said with a frown. "She's worried about you."

"I don't care."

"Come on, kid, let me take you home. It's late and you should be in bed."

Henry sighed as he clicked off his flashlight and took Emma's offered hand. He didn't want to go home, but he didn't have any other choice, did he? He led the way to Mifflin Street, neither of them speaking, nor letting go of one another's hand. Henry hung back as they reached the gate and he saw the Sheriff's car parked on the street.

"I really don't want to go home, Emma."

"Tough, kid, you gotta. Told you, your mom is worried about you."

"She's not even my real—"

"Henry?" Regina yelled as she ran out of the house the instant Emma pushed open the gate. She came to a stop a few feet in front of them, obviously angry and worried about him. "Where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been?"

"Mom, I—"

"Get inside, please," she said as she glared down at Henry's hand still holding tight on to Emma's. "Now, Henry."

Henry groaned as he let go of Emma's hand and ran up to the front door, passing by Sheriff Graham and completely ignoring him as he thundered up the stairs, but he didn't run to his room, he stayed at the top of the stairs and sat down, listening to his mother telling the Sheriff goodnight and asking Emma to come inside to talk.

Henry leaned forward, watching Emma reluctantly follow Regina into the den and he groaned quietly as the door was clicked shut moments later, essentially making it impossible for him to hear from where he sat perched at the top of the stairs. He sighed as he rose to his feet and dragged his backpack along the floor to his bedroom.

His mind was full of a hundred different thoughts and even though he'd fallen asleep in the castle, he wasn't tired anymore. He slung his bag on to his bed before climbing up and pulling out the book that Miss. Blanchard had given to him at the end of the school year, a book he'd reluctantly started to read and yet, the more he read the stories inside, the more interested he was in them and he was growing attached to each of the characters. It was a book of fairytales, but they weren't nothing the like ones his mother read to him when he was younger.

These ones felt real. The characters felt real. He flipped through the book, stopping when he came to the part about a curse the Evil Queen threatened upon the entire realm. A curse. Something in the back of his mind was itching to get out, to make more sense of it, but he laughed quietly and closed the book, closing his eyes as his head hit the pillow.

Little did he know the book he had been given, every story in it was true and every character that was written in the book, was real and alive there in Storybrooke.

It'd just take him a little longer to figure it all out for himself…and to find that the curse would be broken, not by the Savior, but by the kiss of the Evil Queen's one true love…


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Thanks again for the faves/follows and the reviews. Now, I will warn you in advance this story might be slower to be updated as my muse has begun to run wild with my other story, Miles To Go, so we'll see what happens! Questions you have on whether or not there is still a curse will be answered in a few chapters, just be patient as I cook up a twisted little plot here...**

* * *

Regina stood by the burning fireplace, her drink in hand as she kept her eyes on Emma Swan siting on the sofa a few feet away. It had already been a very long night and what compelled her to invite Emma Swan in for a drink and to talk, well it was the fact she was worried about Henry and the fact that Henry knew exactly who she was. Regina knew one thing was certain, she had to make it clear to Emma Swan that her being in Storybrooke did not give her the right to take her son away from her or to try and be a part of his life.

Yet there was something else too, but Regina chalked it down to having a few too many drinks over the last couple of hours. Sheriff Graham's presence had made her uneasy as well as he got the word out that Henry was missing.

"How did you know where he was, Ms. Swan?"

"He found me there this afternoon," she replied with a shrug. "I thought if he could be anywhere, maybe he was there."

"And where was that exactly?"

"At the park by the school."

Regina could see the lie before she heard it, but dismissed it as she sipped her drink. "I see," she said through tight lips. "What are you doing here in Storybrooke? Do I need to be worried about you, Ms. Swan?"

"No, you don't. My car broke down last night. I never planned on stopping here in Storybrooke."

"So, it is just a coincidence you are here?"

"An unfortunate one if you ask me," Emma replied and her eyes went wide. "I'm sorry, I—I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that."

Regina pressed her lips tightly together, not moving away from where she stood in front of the fireplace. Being in the presence of the younger woman on a far more intimate level that it had been earlier, that feeling of familiarity returned and she couldn't quite shake it. There was no denying that the younger woman was beautiful and she had an aura of freedom, of unrestrained wildness that rolled off of her in waves.

Regina clenched her jaw before sighing heavily and lifting the crystal glass to her lips. She was missing something and it was more than just the sudden, coincidental appearance of Henry's birth mother, there was something bigger, something she'd forgotten or lost. That bothered her just as the fact that Emma Swan was sitting on her sofa, drinking a small glass of whisky with her in the middle of the night.

"Would I be out of line if I asked you about Henry?" Emma asked quietly and Regina motioned for her to continue. "I keep getting this crazy feeling that I'm—"

"His biological mother?" Regina asked stiffly.

"If you think I came here looking for him—"

"Did you?"

"I already told you why I'm here," Emma replied defensively. "And it doesn't matter. I'm not his mother."

"No, you're not. I am. I was there for every diaper that needed to be changed, every fever, every tantrum—"

"And that won't change, Mayor Mills. I am not here because I came here looking for Henry. I've already told you why I'm here. My car broke down just outside of town and it won't be fixed for a month. If you choose not to believe that, then that's not my problem. You want me to stay away from your son? I'll stay away from your son, simple as that, but he knows, doesn't he? He knows who I am," Emma said as she rose from the couch and placed her glass on the coffee table. "He knows and I can say for a fact right now, that keeping him from seeking me out while I'm here in Storybrooke is going to be next to impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, Ms. Swan. He'll do as I say or there will be consequences."

"I see you rule with an iron fist," Emma chuckled dryly as she walked up to Regina and shook her head slowly at her, hazel eyes meeting hers in a hard stare. "I'll stay away from Henry, Regina, but I can't promise you he'll stay away from me. Not if he knows who I really am."

Regina was fuming, but she kept her lips pressed tightly together, her own steely gaze meeting Emma's. There was a slight spark in the air between them, something she easily dismissed as nothing but the buzz she was feeling from the alcohol.

"Thanks for the drink," Emma said easily as she took a step back and picked the glass back up, downing the rest of the amber liquid quickly. "As for the talk?"

"Ms. Swan, I just wanted to make it perfectly clear that I want you—"

"To stay away from Henry, I understand."

Regina followed her down the hallway to the front door, her heart picking up its pace as her eyes involuntarily wandered over the blonde's backside. Regina swallowed the growing lump in her throat, forcing a tight smile as Emma turned to face her as she reached the front door.

"You know what's funny?"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't even know," she said and upon Regina's raised eyebrow, she continued, "I didn't even know he was my son until you told me."

"This changes nothing about why you are here, Ms. Swan."

"No," Emma said with a small shake of her head. "It changes everything."

She left Regina standing there in mild shock, her anger fluttering under the surface, ready to boil over, but it never did as she watched Emma walk down the front pathway, pull open the gate and disappear beyond the hedges that lined the front yard.

Regina knew she was right. It changed everything.

And even in the state of mind she found herself in as she shut the front door and locked it, she knew she had to find a way to become neutral with the woman, or her worst fears could most possibly come true. That this woman, this stranger, Emma Swan, would take her son from her.

Tomorrow she would make amends with the woman, but how after the way things unfolded inside the den, she wasn't sure. She had six hours to get some rest before Henry would be awake and only then, when her mind was clear and sober again, would she be able to figure out a plan to neutralize a relationship with Henry's biological mother.

Because she knew if that didn't happen, there would be nothing she could do to stop her from taking Henry away from her, emotionally and physically.

* * *

Emma sipped her hot coffee as she sat at the counter in the diner. Ruby wasn't working until noon and despite the morning rush of the same customers that had been there the day before, only Granny was working the floor and the register, but the busy pace obviously didn't jostle her one bit. She seemed to enjoy the fast pace, even stopping to have quick conversations with her customers before moving on to the next table, to give or take the next order, filling up nearly empty coffee cups along the way.

"Hi," Henry said cheerfully, startling Emma as he sat down next to her. With wide eyes she looked over at Regina, expecting a scene after what played out between them the night before.

"Henry, what are you—"

"It's okay," he said with a smile. "Mom said I could come sit with you if I wanted to. Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Uh no, not yet," Emma replied, glancing over at Regina as she made her way over to sit on the other stool next to Henry. She nodded a curt, silent hello in Regina's direction before turning her eyes down to the menu in front of her.

"Mom, can I get the waffles today?"

"Yes you can, dear," Regina replied quietly. "They are quite delicious," she said as she looked over at Emma as she debated what to get herself for breakfast that morning. "Granny? Three orders of your waffles special. Breakfast is on me this morning," she said as she looked over at Emma again and flashed a truly genuine smile.

Emma just nodded and sat there is complete silence, wondering what on earth had changed in the seven or so hours since she'd seen Regina last. Their so-called talk had turned quickly as soon as the drinks were poured and she felt attacked as Regina questioned why she was in Storybrooke, and then, just like that, everything turned around completely and she was given confirmation that her suspicions she'd had earlier that day about Henry were indeed true.

She knew as soon as she found Henry and brought him home that Regina Mills knew exactly who and what she was. Yet, unlike the others who seemed intimidated by her and from the few stories that Henry had told her about his mother and how almost everyone in town was pretty much afraid of her, she didn't feel the least intimidated by Regina Mills.

Emma was feeling perplexed and there Regina Mills sat, smiling at Granny as a cup of coffee was poured for her, acting as if their interaction the night before hadn't unfolded in the way that it had. Henry slipped off his stool and upon the look he received from Regina, he just hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the bathrooms and left when she gave him a short nod.

"I would like to apologize, Ms. Swan."

"Emma," she said as she turned to look at Regina. "You can call me Emma."

"Right," Regina replied sharply, looking a little flustered. "As I was saying, I would like to apologize for last night. Although, I have no excuses for my actions or the words I chose to say to you, do know that I had never intended for things to go that way."

"You mean with you dropping the bomb on me that I'm Henry's birth mother?" Emma asked, keeping her voice low since she assumed Regina would not want the entire town gossiping about her. More so than usual. "Or how you accused me of coming here looking for him, choosing not to believe the truth?"

"Ms—"

"And now? You knew I'd be here this morning, didn't you, Regina? You tell me to stay away from your son and you bring him here, telling him it's okay for him to come and sit with me after what you told me last night?"

Emma shook her head, completely flabbergasted at the sudden change of heart the woman had. She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling it still slightly damp from the shower she'd had not that long ago. She stared at Regina and shook her head again.

"I've had some time to think about what transpired between us last night and I realized that while my intentions were that of a worried mother, I was wrong to—"

"Attack me? Threaten me?"

"I came here to apologize, Ms. Swan."

"I can see that it's working out so well for you right now," Emma replied under her breath and she saw Regina tense, but her eyes were not on her, but glancing over her shoulder as the bathroom door opened and Henry strolled out.

"Could you come for dinner tonight?" Regina asked gently as Henry sat down, looking at her and then at Emma with a wide smile curled over his lips. "I believe there is much we must discuss. There are a few things I'd like to clear up and I—"

"She makes the best lasagna," Henry interrupted. "Will you come?"

"I don't know."

"Please?" Henry tried again and there was just something about him that made it impossible for her to refuse the offer.

"Okay, kid, I'll come."

She didn't miss the relieved smile that danced over Regina's lips as she lifted her mug and sipped her coffee. Emma just shook her head, still not completely understand what was going on or just what had changed Regina's mind about her and the bombshell revelation she'd so flippantly revealed when she told Emma she was Henry's birth mother.

After they ate breakfast that Regina paid for, even after Emma tried to tell her she could afford to pay for her own meals, she found herself being convinced by Henry to come along with him and Regina to walk down at the waterfront. As soon as they turned on the street that led to the castle, Emma had to wonder if Henry was finally going to reveal his special place to his own mother, but as his small hand grabbed hers and tugged her towards the dock that jutted out into the water, she felt a relieved breath slip past her lips.

Out on the water, there were a few fishing boats anchored in place and it was a calm morning, the sky without a single cloud and the breeze that came off the water was still and warm. Emma let go of Henry's hand, the dock shaking under her feet as he ran down to the end.

"What is this?" Emma asked Regina quietly.

"One of his favourite places. I promised him this morning we would come here to feed the water foul. I hadn't anticipated he would invite you along, Ms. Swan."

"I'm not talking about this," Emma said as she turned to face Regina, both of them stopping on the middle of the dock. "You made it clear last night you didn't want me seeing him. You felt threatened last night, threatened that I'm here and that Henry knows who I am, didn't you?"

"Quite rightfully so," Regina answered evenly. "But, as I tried to explain back at the diner, I had some time to think about this…situation. About you. About Henry."

She fell quiet as she turned her attention down to where Henry sat on the edge of the dock, cross-legged and feeding the water fowl crumbs of the toast Emma had seen him pocket in the diner, but hadn't questioned why.

"I must admit I had never expected you to find your way to Storybrooke," Regina continued after a few lingering moments. "Yet, I feared the day would come."

"I'm not here to take him from you, Regina."

"I know," she said quickly. "I know that now, but it is what I feared so much last night, which after a rather sleepless night, I've had some time to think about how much different our interaction could've and should've played out. I believe your time here in Storybrooke will be much more pleasant if you and I are on common ground when it comes to Henry."

"Okay," Emma replied flatly. "What sort of common ground are you proposing here?"

"If you would like to spend time with Henry, I cannot object to that," Regina replied. "There is one thing I do worry about."

"I won't make him promises I can't keep or promises I know you'll object to, if that's what you're worried about."

Regina clutched at her purse and managed a small, tight smile before the dock shook beneath their feet as Henry ran back towards them. Neither said a word as Regina opened her purse and pulled out a small bag of breadcrumbs that Henry eagerly took and ran back down to the end of the dock again.

Emma moved to lean against the railing, unable to take her eyes off of Regina as she closed her purse and clutched at it as if she was holding on to it for dear life. She could see underneath the many layers the woman had, that she was nervous. It showed in the way her lips twitched every time their eyes met. It showed in the way she stood near her, but not too close. It was the way her breath hitched when Emma let out a long, drawn out sigh as the seagulls flew over their heads, swooping down to the water to fight with the other fowl that Henry was enthusiastically feeding breadcrumbs to.

"Can I ask you something, Ms. Swan?"

"Only if you stop calling me that."

"Sorry," Regina said as she shook her head. "Emma."

"What?"

"Have you thought of him before?" Regina asked. "Henry, I mean. Ever since you gave him up for adoption, did you ever think of him? Wonder where he was?"

"Of course I did."

"Did you ever wish to find him despite the fact that you agreed to a closed adoption?"

"No," Emma replied. "No, it was a closed adoption for a reason, but that doesn't mean I didn't think about it sometimes. How did you even find out about me? That information was supposed to be private."

"I have my ways of procuring sensitive information."

Emma had no doubt about that. Regina Mills was a powerful woman, from the things she'd heard Henry tell her. She was nearly seven years older than her and yet she was far more successful in life, with the big house, the fancy car, the son, and was the town's Mayor. Yet, something was off about her and it wasn't just her being an overbearing, overly protective mother who had just the night before wanted to keep Emma away from her son. There was still so much she didn't know about this woman or Henry. The question she asked herself now, was did she want to? Did she want to stay on common, neutral ground with Regina Mills while she was stuck in Storybrooke, did she want to be a part of her son's life, even if that meant she'd be leaving as soon as the opportunity struck?

Even though she hadn't planned on any of this to happen, she already knew the answer.

"How is this going to work?" Emma asked, pulling Regina's attention away from watching Henry.

"How is what going to work?"

"This, whatever this is," Emma replied, unsure of what to even call it. "I'm only here until my car is fixed, Regina. I never planned to stop here and I don't even plan on staying any longer than I have to…"

"While you're here in town, it'll be impossible for Henry to keep from trying to get to know you. He is quite persistent as you may have been able to tell by now," Regina replied and they both laughed quietly as Emma nodded her head. "Perhaps I should have spoken to you before I spoke with him about this, but he seemed to be quite thrilled at the fact that I ensured him it would be okay for him to see you, perhaps spend some time with you. It is silly of me to assume that you would—"

"It's fine," Emma replied and she inhaled sharply. This was never part of the plan, but then again her whole life had never gone according to plan. Ever. "Really, it's fine. If that's what Henry wants, and you're okay with it, who am I to say no?"

"All I care about is that he is happy and loved. He is everything to me and since spending time with you yesterday, I haven't seen such happiness light up his eyes for a very long time. I realized that if I were to deny him the chance to know his real mother, it would darken that happiness inside of him for a very long time and I will not allow that to happen."

Regina paused as she loosed her grip on her purse and finally allowed it to fall, the thin strap over her shoulder allowing the purse to dangle at her side. Emma still wasn't sure what had changed the woman's mind since last night, but then again she did remember the strong smell of whisky on her breath when she was invited inside for a drink. Despite the uneasiness she felt around the woman and her sudden change of attitude towards her, Emma couldn't help but feel that warm pull in her heart, one she'd never felt before, as her eyes trailed down the dock to watch Henry dump the last of the breadcrumbs in the water, smiling and laughing as he watched the water fowl fight for every last bit.

Regina walked away as her cell phone chirped and she promptly answered it, chattering away as she departed further away. Henry walked down the dock to where Emma still stood and he looked up at her with a grin.

"What, kid?"

"Nothing," he smiled as he skipped down the dock towards his mother. "Are you coming, Emma?"

"Coming where exactly?"

Henry just pointed to the castle structure a little ways off and she shrugged before joining him. She glanced over at Regina who was still on her phone, her voice too low to pick up on what she was saying but her face was a mask of anger, one she'd already been on the receiving end of once before. Her attention was quickly deterred back to Henry as he called out her name and she climbed up into the castle with him, both of them sitting down with their legs hanging over the edge.

"She's probably going to go to work," Henry said quietly as he watched his mother pace back and forth on the road. "She's always busy, even on the weekends."

"Part of the gig, kid."

"It just sucks sometimes."

"I bet."

"What about your parents? Did they work a lot when you were a kid too?"

Emma didn't say a word, but it didn't stop her mind from bringing up memories of her own childhood, going from foster home to foster home, never knowing what it was like to have a real family with parents that loved her. She'd always taken care of herself and she grew up without knowing the love only a mother and a father could give. That was something she didn't easily talk about with just anyone, but it wasn't a part of her life she hid either. Yet, it was still too heavy of a subject to be talking about with Henry and she hoped that with the prolonged silence, he'd move on to an entirely different subject instead.

Henry, instead of asking the question again, pulled off his backpack and pulled out a book from inside. He smiled over at her as he flipped through the pages and she couldn't help but look over at the book he held in his lap. Fairytales. Quite unusual for a nine year old boy to be carrying around, but she didn't question it. It was a lot better than the porn magazines the boys carried in their backpacks in the one foster home she lived in when she was Henry's age, that was for sure.

"I'll take it this is your favourite book?"

"It's not just a book," Henry replied and he paused, biting his lower lip before shaking his head. "No, you're not ready yet. I'm not ready yet. I haven't figured it out yet."

"Figured what out?"

"What the stories mean, who these people are."

"I see," Emma replied, looking down at him in confusion, again not questioning him about it.

"You know I'm happy my mom isn't mad anymore," Henry said, not taking his eyes off the pages in front of him. "She told me you didn't even know."

"Know what, kid?"

"That you're my mom."

"Look," Emma said as she waited for Henry to look up at her. "That woman over there? That's your mom, Henry. Nothing is going to change that. I don't know what you're thinking—"

"I know, Emma," he replied simply. "But you're still my mom, too."

Emma felt uneasy, but she found herself nodding her head anyway. He was right. Whether she wanted it or not, she was still his mom, biologically. She gently nudged her arm into his shoulder and he smiled at her brightly. She'd never been good with kids, but with Henry, it felt different, natural even.

The next month in Storybrooke was undoubtedly going to change her life, that much she was sure of…

* * *

Henry cleared away the plates from the table after they'd finished dinner. His mother and Emma sat in what felt like comfortable silence as they both sipped their wine. He placed the dishes in the kitchen sink and found himself smiling a little to himself. He had come to the conclusion when dinner began, there was something bigger going on than he could even understand. His mother didn't just invite anyone for dinner and he hadn't even seen her smile or laugh the way she had when Emma, after being begged by Henry, told them a few stories from her life.

He had been wondering since he made the wish on Friday night, just who would be the one that would show up in Storybrooke, to show his mother that one true love truly did exist. He was still too young to fully understand how those things worked, but he knew it couldn't have just been a coincidence that Emma Swan's car had broke down just outside of town the night he made that wish upon a star.

Could it be just a coincidence? Or was that wish a fluke and all the ones he made before for his birth mother to find him finally come true? There was no way he could find those answers, there was nobody out there to give him the answers he was looking for. Yet, he still believed in magic, in wishes coming true, and his wish for his mother to find her one true love had been the most selfless wish he'd ever made before, one he still wanted for her, knowing just how much happier she would be if someone loved her the way he knew she wanted to be loved.

Walking back into the dining room to grab the rest of the dishes, he smiled at both women who sat there still enjoying the comfortable silence between them. As he cleared away the rest of the dishes, he didn't return to the dining room immediately, not when he heard the two of them begin to talk again quietly.

"Thank you for inviting me for dinner, Regina."

"It was the least I could do to make up for the way I reacted last night."

"You were worried about Henry, it's understandable. Any mother would react like that."

"I wasn't even sure—"

"You just want what's best for him," Emma continued and Henry leaned against the wall next to the doorway, listening more carefully as their voices grew quieter. "You are a good mother, Regina. Me being here will never change that."

"I know."

"If Henry wants to spend time with me, I'm not gonna say no, but I just want to be sure that you won't have a problem with—"

"No, no, it won't be a problem, Ms. Swan."

"Emma."

Henry stifled his giggles and wished he could see his mother's face at that moment. He clamped his hand over his mouth, unable to completely stop the giggles that slipped past his lips and he heard his mother clear her throat before she called out for him.

"Yeah, Mom?" Henry asked as he moved to stand in the doorway.

"You have school in the morning," she said and she cast a wayward glance at the clock on the wall to her left. "And I believe you still have some homework to finish up."

"What about dessert?"

"I'll make you a deal," Regina smiled warmly at him, her fingers trailing over the edge of her nearly empty glass of wine. "You finish up and we'll sit down and have dessert in the den before you go to bed."

Henry simply nodded and headed upstairs to his room and he kept the door open as he pulled out his math book and sat cross-legged on his bed, but his mind wasn't on his homework, but rather on the sound of laughter as it floated up the stairs from the dining room. After he did a few questions, his mind struggling to stay focused, he slammed his book shut and walked to the top of the stairs and sat down. From where he sat, he could see down into the dining room and he could see both women clearly and he hoped that neither could see him sitting at the top of the stairs, watching him.

The way his mother reached out and touched Emma's arm as they spoke quietly sent a wave of chills down his spine. The way Emma smiled back at her when Regina didn't immediately remove her hand, made him lean forward, wondering what they had just said to initiate such a simple little touch. Even though he was young, he knew what was transpiring between the two women down in the dining room and when his mother smiled at Emma in a way he'd never seen her smile at anyone else before, that's when he knew. That he knew that his wish had been granted. Both of them.

But did either of them realize what was happening? They were adults, after all, but even Henry knew that adults could be so completely blind to whatever was happening right in front of them. Did they not see because they were two women? Henry didn't have a problem with that, even though he couldn't quite understand it, he just knew from the lingering looks, the smiles, the laughter, the light touches and the way they seemed to be moving closer to one another as they spoke, that it was quite natural and as real as it would be if his mother was with a man.

With his elbows on his thighs, his head in his hands, Henry smiled as his mother turned in her chair and looked up the stairs right up at him. With just a look from her, the stern one that told him without any words that he needed to return to his room to finish his homework or there would definitely not be any dessert that night.

He smiled down at her before he stood up and headed back to his room. And as the sound of laughter floated up the stairs again, he knew for _sure_ that his wish had come true…


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: I know it's been over a month, but I promise whoever is reading this and still waiting for an update, that I have not abandoned this story. I did warn when I posted the last chapter that this would be _slow_ to be updated, but I am trying to reprimand that with an update to make up for the wait :)**

* * *

Emma sat on the sofa, the fire burning in the fireplace was the only source of light in the den. She couldn't even begin to explain how she was feeling, yet it was a stark contrast to the events that had unfolded when she was in that same room just one night ago.

It had been easy to talk to Regina over dinner with Henry there, easy to tell them some of the light-hearted stories of her past, one's that had Regina laughing and smiling at. The entire mood changed when Henry was sent upstairs to get his homework finished, and Emma still couldn't figure out what was going on between them or why she felt so gravitated towards the older woman. There were definitely two sides to Regina Mills and Emma had seen both of them. One was the mother and the mayor, someone who you didn't cross or wish upon your worst enemy, and the other was a sweet woman, one who embraced the laughter and the smiles she so obviously had gone without for far too long.

"Could I get you another glass?" Regina asked as she motioned towards the bottle of red wine, half empty and sitting on the table where a few other bottles of alcohol sat on top.

"Just one more," Emma replied with a nod.

Emma couldn't get over how things had been going so far since she showed up at the Mills' front door almost three hours ago for dinner. There had not been one snippy comment from Regina, no cold, forced smiles. There had been nothing but warmth that greeted her with open arms the instant the door had been opened, quite literally with Henry tackling her with a tight hug before Regina even had the door all the way open.

She had expected awkwardness, silence, forced conversations and fake smiles. When she had told Ruby as she ran into her on the way out of the Inn that she was going to the Mills' for dinner, Ruby had joked to watch out in case Regina would try to poison her. She had laughed it off then and she laughed it off now, even more so.

"I'll just be a moment," Regina said once she'd topped Emma's glass of wine up. "Unless you care to join me in the kitchen? I'm just going to put dessert in the oven to warm it up."

"What are we having?"

"Apple turnovers," Regina smiled as Emma stood up, cradling her glass of wine in one hand as she followed Regina into the kitchen. "It's an old family recipe," she said as she pulled a container out of the refrigerator. "I grow the apples myself."

Emma smiled politely as she watched Regina pull out a baking sheet and turn the oven on, making quick work of placing three apple turnovers on the baking sheet and she grabbed a dishtowel and wiped her hands.

"Thank you again for inviting me for dinner tonight, Regina. It's been…"

"Surprising," Regina finished for her lightly. "It has indeed. Perhaps you will join us for dinner another time? Henry has certainly enjoyed your company tonight."

"And you?"

"And myself as well, yes," she smiled warmly at her and turned her attention back to the baking tray and place it in the oven. "As hard as it may be to believe, not many people in this town willingly take up an offer to come for dinner here."

"Not as hard as it is to believe as you'd imagine."

"It's no secret that I'm less than admired in this town, Ms. Swan. I am sure you've heard a few rather colourful comments about myself in the short time that you've been here."

"And they're all wrong," Emma replied easily, the wine making her tongue a little looser than normal, just as it obviously was doing for Regina. She didn't miss the slight blush that crept over Regina's face before she turned her back to Emma to place the dishtowel back over the rack near the sink. "And I would love to join you two for dinner again."

"Wonderful," Regina smiled at her again, the blush still lingering on her cheeks. She subtly fanned herself before picking up her wine glass and gingerly took a sip. "I would absolutely love to hear more about yourself."

"There really isn't a whole lot more to tell, actually."

"I find that hard to believe."

Emma felt her own cheeks flush and she blamed it on the wine and the fact that she could feel that familiar buzz, the same one that would let all her inhibitions down no matter how hard she tried not to let that happen.

"I meant to ask earlier, but did not want to ask you in front of Henry, but his father—?"

"His father doesn't even know about him."

"Oh?"

"Uh," Emma laughed nervously. "That's a story for another time."

"And you said there wasn't a whole lot more to tell," Regina said, her tone teasing as a small smile fluttered over her lips. "I don't need to be worried about him, then?"

"No, not at all. Definitely not."

"That is certainly a relief, I must admit."

"Look, I appreciate you trying for Henry, but if you truly don't want me around then I—"

"If I did not want you around Henry, do you think that I would've invited you for dinner tonight, Ms. Swan?"

There was something about the teasing tone in Regina's voice that sent ripples of shivers down Emma's spine. Emma couldn't fight the blush as Regina's eyes met hers and she sipped her wine, gulping down the sweet liquid, suddenly feeling very, very thirsty as the room felt as if it was growing warmer by the minute.

Emma certainly wasn't sure what was going on between them, but the teasing smiles, the softness in Regina's voice that was a stark contrast to the night before, had been nothing short of surprising. She even liked that shiver that rippled down her spine at certain times and always, most definitely, caused by Regina, by something she had just said or just the look in her eyes when they stared at one another.

Whatever was happening, she was starting to convince herself it was the wine she'd been drinking and that maybe Ruby was right, maybe Regina Mills had poisoned her and the effects of said poison were starting to take place.

_That's just ridiculous_, Emma thought, unable to stifle the small laugh that slipped past her lips. Her eyes raked over Regina's body, dressed in a pencil skirt and tight fitting white blouse. She wore heels, even inside her own home, heels that made her legs look good and her ass—

Emma shook herself out of the stupor she'd numbly stumbled into. While finding other women to be attractive wasn't something that was foreign to her, finding _Regina_ attractive was. She sipped at her wine again and went for another, finding her glass as dry as her mouth was becoming.

Upon Regina's gesture to an unopened bottle of white wine that sat on the counter, noticing Emma's glass was empty, she took it upon herself to have some more even though she had only planned on having just one more. The buzz was intoxicating, quite literally, and the thoughts swimming through her head were making her feel confused and she wanted nothing more than to find a way to dull them, at least until she was back in her bed at Granny's bed and breakfast, safe and sound and fast asleep with nothing but her dreams to taunt her.

"You mustn't feel guilty."

"Excuse me?"

"The wine," Regina replied as she waved over towards the bottle. "I have more than enough in the cellar downstairs. Do enjoy yourself while you're here tonight, Emma."

"T—thank you," she stammered, raising her glass to her lips to taste the velvety wine that felt smooth and lush as it slipped past her tongue and down her throat, the silky burn nothing but a pleasurable delight as she took another small sip.

Regina smiled before turning to retrieve three small plates from the cupboard behind her. She pulled out three small dessert forks and checked on the apple turnovers in the oven, bending over slightly and giving Emma another reason to have a large sip from her glass, swallowing the wine thickly as her eyes lingered at the spot on Regina's thighs just below the hem of her skirt.

Emma looked into her glass, wondering if she was just becoming a little too tipsy from the wine for her mind to wander that way or if Regina was poisoning her, slowly yet surely—but it didn't make any sense that she'd be having lingering lustful thoughts of her at the same time.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I just uh, feeling a little light-headed."

"From the wine," Regina said with a soft chuckle. "Perhaps it is a sign to slow down."

"Right," Emma nodded, but it didn't stop her from taking another small sip from her glass. "Is there anything I can help you with, Regina?"

"Henry likes to have ice cream with his turnovers," Regina said as she slipped on the oven mitts and opened the oven door again. "It's just in the freezer."

Emma busied herself with the ice cream, placing a scoop on one plate for Henry. He came down without having to be called, the delicious smell of the turnovers filling the house and luring him from his room and his homework. Instead of going to the den to eat their dessert, they stood in the kitchen, Henry at the island with Regina while Emma stood by the fridge and slowly at her turnover, which she had to admit that it was the best she'd ever tasted before.

Her mind kept going back to the night before, remembering how cold Regina had been with her. She still couldn't figure out what had changed or understand how easy it felt to be there, talking with her, laughing with her, being a wanted guest in the Mills' house and drinking expensive wine she could never afford to buy for herself. In just the course of a weekend, her entire life had changed and it all started with her car breaking down just outside of town.

A month. She was there for a month, maybe less if her car could be fixed sooner than the four weeks she'd been told it'd take. What would happen then? She wasn't going to stay in Storybrooke, right? Whether Henry was there and whether or not Regina made it okay for her to become a part of his life. Was that what she wanted? To be a part of her son's life nine years after she'd willingly gave him up for adoption? Henry sure wanted her around, that was certain, but why? That was the question that kept niggling at her brain, why would he want someone in his life when he'd been given up at birth? He was just a child, Emma reasoned with the thoughts in her mind, he hardly could understand the reality behind the situation they all now found themselves in.

Despite the thoughts rolling through her mind, she joined Regina in the den shortly after she'd put Henry to bed. A third bottle of wine was opened as Regina topped up Emma's glass and then her own. Emma smiled at her as she slipped off her heels and sat on the couch, tucking her legs under her as she settled in and got comfortable.

"How are you finding your time here in Storybrooke, dear?"

"It's quiet," Emma replied. "And it's…different than any place I've ever been before."

"Of course. It's not quite the same as a big city," Regina said and she sipped her wine and swiped her thumb over the lipstick that smudged over the glass. "I imagine you cannot wait to leave, to move on. I do realize that you never intended on stopping here or staying any longer than you must."

"I—I actually haven't thought much of it, Regina," she lied and she kept her eyes on her glass she held between both hands. "Right now, it's one day at a time."

"Hmm."

"There really aren't any job opportunities here, and I'm in a bit of a rut."

"Financial problems?"

"I don't want to—"

"I'm sure you'll find something while you're here, Ms. Swan."

"It's either I learn how to be a roofer or I take that job down at the Rabbit Hole. According to Ruby, I definitely don't want to do that," Emma replied and she looked over at Regina as she chuckled heartily. "I've been taking care of myself for my whole life. I'll figure something out."

"Hmm," Regina said with a thoughtful nod and she casually draped her arm over the back of the couch, her body shifting as she moved to sit a little closer to Emma. "I am aware of your skills, Ms. Swan. Perhaps there may be a suitable job position for you here in Storybrooke."

"My skills?"

"As a bail-bondsperson, of course."

"Pretty sure I won't find that kind of work here, Regina," Emma laughed quietly. "I mean, Storybrooke just doesn't strike me as the kind of place where you have people skipping out on bail and missing their court dates, or chasing them down because they're not paying spousal or child support."

"No, not as such, but perhaps…" Regina trailed off, looking at Emma thoughtfully for a moment and a small smile curled over her lips. "Perhaps there may be a position for you down at the Sheriff's office. If you are interested, of course. I could speak with Sheriff Graham about taking you on as a deputy. Certainly he could use the help and I happen to know as a fact that there is more than enough in the budget to hire you on, even for a temporary amount of time."

"Are you serious?"

"What, are you not interested in taking on a role such as a deputy, Ms. Swan?"

"I hardly think I'm qualified to be a deputy."

"Nonsense, dear," Regina chuckled throatily. "I'm certain Sheriff Graham will greatly benefit taking you on as his deputy. As you can see, Storybrooke is a quiet town, and the problems you would deal with is the occasional drunk and disorderly, perhaps the rare domestic disturbance calls and being a first responder to the scene of an accident."

Emma wasn't sure why Regina was offering her a job, as a deputy nonetheless, but she knew she should be grateful that the Mayor cared enough to consider it at all. Her body tensed up slightly as she felt Regina's fingers lightly touch over her hair. Her heart was racing at the smallest, simplest little touch that was barely much of a touch at all. When her eyes met with Regina's in the light of the fireplace, she saw her eyes looked darker than every before, her lips were parted slightly, and Emma completely lost all train of thought in that moment.

Regina's fingers continued to stroke through her hair as silence filled the room. The crackling of the fire, the popping of the wood, was the only thing keeping Emma focused from her thoughts that were continuously trying to stray in her mind. Yet, every once in a while, she had thoughts of leaning over and kissing Regina, not sure where that was coming from, but every time that thought crossed her mind, a warmth flooded through her body.

There was no denying that Regina Mills was absolutely stunning and she could feel that invisible pull between them growing every time their eyes met in a piercing stare. Emma couldn't stop feeling the way she did and she knew it was more than just the wine making her feel that way, it was more than just the wine that was making her feel bold with what she thought of doing next, of leaning forward and kissing Regina, and to hell with the consequences that followed.

It'd been a long time since she'd kissed anyone, the last time being with a man she'd briefly dated while she'd been in New York City, before she hightailed it to Boston upon a prospective job offer there. It'd been even longer since she'd been with a woman and even now, she couldn't remember her name, just what she looked like. Dark hair, dark eyes, luscious lips—very much like the woman sitting next to her now.

She felt like she was a teenager all over again, sitting next to her crush. The feelings she had flowing through her were very much the same, and the wine made that growing burn inside of her grow hotter with every passing second. She licked over her lips slowly, glancing down at her nearly empty glass for a moment before she drank the rest of her wine and leaned forward to place the empty glass on the coffee table in front of her, right next to the bowl of fresh apples that were displayed in the middle simply for decoration.

"Would you like another glass?" Regina asked quietly and Emma shook her head no.

"I think I should wait a little while before I have another."

"If you insist," Regina replied, finishing off her own glass before she placed it next to Emma's on the table. "Perhaps I should wait a while before I have another as well."

Emma fidgeted with the edge of the couch cushion, her nerves bundling and coming undone as she found it impossible to fight what she was feeling any longer. Regina's fingers had found their way back to stroking through her hair and they were sitting impossibly closer now. Emma swallowed thickly as she turned to look at the beautiful woman next to her and she couldn't stop herself from leaning forward and capturing Regina's in a soft, lingering kiss.

She felt the hesitation, the shock and awe as she didn't part from the kiss. Emma sighed contently as she felt Regina kiss her back, her hand that was behind her head slipping through her hair to cup the back of her neck gently as Regina kissed her deeper, tongues slipping past lips to seek entrance, to dance and fight for dominance as hands grasped at one another. As something flowed between them, something powerful and raw, they both broke apart from the kiss, blinking and breathing hard as hands pulled away quickly.

Emma awkwardly shifted on the couch, her eyes widening as she stared at her empty glass on the table in front of her. She struggled to slow her racing heart, to catch her breath as she felt the ghosting of Regina's lips on her own. She shuddered as she felt Regina's hand slide up her arm and come to rest on her shoulder, waiting for her to bring herself to look back at the intensity of the dark brown eyes that stared at her. She inhaled sharply, her hands shaking slightly as she turned to look at the stunning brunette beside her and she was taken by surprise as Regina captured her lips in another deeply intense kiss.

She couldn't stop the moan that slipped past parted lips as Regina pulled her closer to her. Emma reached out to wrap her arms around Regina, both of them kissing each other with such heated passion Emma never knew could be possible with someone she'd just met. Her left hand trailed down Regina's body, coming to rest on her knee, her fingers idly stroking just below the hem of the brunette's tight-fitting skirt. The soft silk of her stockings made Emma wonder if her skin was just as equally soft, but her mind was flooded with a thousand different thoughts, her hands and lips and tongue otherwise preoccupied and she was unable to form much of a coherent thought.

She pitched forward as Regina moved to lay down on the couch, pulling her with her until she laid on top of her lithe body. Her hand stayed on her thigh, her other on the couch beside Regina's arm to steady herself. They broke from the kiss suddenly, but Emma kept her eyes shut, her breath spilling past her lips in short, hard bursts. She bit her lower lip, revelling in the feel of Regina's hands as they swept down her back with unhurried ease.

Her fingers, her hand itself, seemed to have a mind of its own as it deftly slipped under Regina's skirt, her fingers stopping as she felt the clips at the edge of the stockings and her eyes went wide and she pulled back from Regina's lips and was greeted by a salacious smile that burned the fire hotter throughout her body. Regina, seemingly impatient, reached up and cupped a hand at the back of her head, pulling Emma in for another deep, passionate kiss.

There was a fire burning between them and it did nothing but pull Emma deeper into the feeling that was growing between them. She groaned against the brunette's lips as a strong leg slipped between her own. She felt the hem of the skirt rise as she rolled her hips against Regina's thigh. Another shiver ran through her body as she felt Regina's fingers slip under the edge of her shirt and splayed her palms delicately across her lower back.

Things were going fast, far too fast, and Emma's head was swimming wildly as she pulled back from Regina's delectable lips. Her eyes searched Regina's, unspoken questions not making it past her lips as Regina's palm spread firmly on her lower back and encouraged her to roll her hips against her thigh again. Just as their lips were about to meet again in another heated kiss, the small creak on the stairs just beyond the closed door of the den pulled the two apart.

Regina rose from the sofa, smoothing down her skirt as Emma struggled to get her rapid breathing under control. Regina moved confidently to grab the bottle of wine, filling her glass just as the door opened slowly.

"Henry, what are you doing awake?" Regina asked, her voice smoother than normal and it made Emma's breath hitch in her chest. "You do realize it's late and you have school in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep," Henry said quietly, his voice heavy with sleep. "I had a bad dream and I called for you, but you never came."

"I'm sorry, dear, I'm afraid I didn't hear you. Emma and I were just talking," Regina said as she placed the bottle down and walked over to Henry. "Come on, I'll read you a story and perhaps before you fall asleep again, you can tell me what your dream was all about and I'll help you come to realize it was only just that, a dream."

"Okay, Mom," Henry smiled as Regina ruffled his hair. "Can Emma come too?"

"I should just get going. It's late and—"

"If she'd like to," Regina replied with a smile that didn't falter.

"Really, I should go," Emma said as she rose from the sofa, her legs feeling slightly unsteady from the events that had just unfolded between her and Regina moments before. "Thank you for dinner, Regina, and for the wine."

"Emma, you don't have to—"

"I do," Emma said before she could finish. "Good night, Henry," she said as she walked past the two. "Good night, Regina."

Emma quickly grabbed her jacket and slipped it on as she made her way to the front door, not once looking back as she pulled the door open and slipped out into the night. The cool, refreshing air hit her suddenly, her whole body buzzing and with every step she took down the walkway towards the street, her legs threatened to buckle completely.

_What just happened?_ Emma wondered as the gate squeaked as she pulled it open. _Did that really happen? Did I really kiss her? Did she seriously kiss me back? It was the wine, wasn't it? That's it, it definitely was, because this would've never happened if we were sober…_

Shaking her head, she ran her fingers through her hair and shut the gate behind her. She looked to the left and to the right of the street, the wine making her mind hazy as she tried to remember which direction her temporary home was in, and after a few deliberating moments, she headed to the right, her feet feeling unsteady as she walked carefully down the street. She blinked in confusion as she reached the end of the street, looking around for anything that was familiar, but none of it was. Turning on her heels, she headed back down the street, stumbling as she walked past the Mills' house.

It took her a while to find her way back to the middle of town and just as the bed and breakfast came into view, the skies opened up overhead and the rain came pouring down. She was completely soaked through by the time she made it to the front door and she moved quietly, careful not to wake Granny or Ruby who were without a doubt already in their own rooms, sleeping soundly.

With an annoyed grunt, she fished out the key from her jacket and let herself into her room. She didn't bother with the lights, shrugging out of her wet jacket and kicking off her boots. She tried, much like she had been for the last half hour since she'd left the Mills' house, to keep her mind on the task at hand and not at all on the ghosting of Regina's lips on hers, or on how good Regina's body had felt laid out beneath her, and definitely not on how just from a simple little touch her whole body had been set on fire.

Emma shuddered and not at all because her clothes were wet and sticking to her skin, but because in the back of her mind she had wished that Henry hadn't woken up, hadn't interrupted them, because her imaginative mind was coming up with all different scenarios of where things would've went from where they'd left off. She bit her bottom lip as she struggled to get out of her wet, tight jeans and she stumbled towards the bed, pulling back the rose coloured comforter before she stripped out of her shirt and fell down face first on the bed.

By morning, Emma's head was pounding and the cheerful songs the birds sang just outside her window didn't do anything to help the hangover she was most definitely feeling. She pulled the pillow over her head, her mind feeling numb as she willed the pounding of tiny jackhammers in her brain to go away.

And then it all came back to her, all the memories of the night before crashing all around her as she pushed the pillow harder against her face. Dinner, the laughter, the wine, Regina's legs, her lips, her tongue, her hands, her body…

"God damn it," Emma groaned as she pulled the pillow away from her face and blinked into the light in the room. "Why do I feel like she's put me under some kind of a spell?" She wondered aloud before she managed to drag herself out of bed.

Emma blinked as she picked up her damp clothes from the floor and headed into the bathroom. She draped her shirt and jeans over the towel rack before turning on the sink tap and splashing a handful of cold water on her face. She inhaled deeply, shuddering as she felt that fire still burning through her, feeling far more intense without the buzz of the wine that had slightly numbed her. She lifted her head as she gripped on to the edge of the sink and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.

How had her entire life changed so much in the three nights since her car had broken down? How did she go from being loathed by Regina Mills to making out on the couch in her den one night later? How did she end up feeling a fire burning inside of her that still hadn't snuffed out, hours after it should've? How did she end up feeling so much for a perfect stranger, so much that she could still feel that spark that had ignited between them with that first simple little kiss?

With a shake of her head, she turned off the tap and turned on the water in the shower. A nice long, hot shower would surely clear her head, and if not, a cold shower would surely help douse the heat she felt through her entire body at the simple thought of seeing Regina Mills again.

* * *

Her office was quiet, which was perfectly fine by her since her head was thundering at every small little sound. Hangovers were not something she was used to, no matter how much she'd had the night before, so this felt like an entirely new experience.

Much like the one that had transpired the night before between her and Emma Swan.

With a sly grin curled over her lips, Regina sorted through the pile of paperwork on her desk, signing each paper before placing it in the file folder to her left. All morning her thoughts had been surrounded by the beautiful, mysterious blonde-haired stranger she'd gotten to know a little intimately on the sofa in her den the night before. She didn't mind those not too subtle flashbacks to lying beneath Emma Swan, her lips tasting of the wine, of apples, and something else she still couldn't quite put her finger on.

Still, many hours later, she was disappointed in Emma's abrupt departure, though she couldn't blame her after Henry nearly walked in on them in a rather compromising position. She had gone to bed with a smile on her face and a mind full of dreams of what could've been if only they had truly been alone in the house last night.

_I'm becoming completely enamoured by her_, Regina thought as she fiddled with the pen in her hand. _How peculiar is it that just two short days ago I found her to be a threat?_

She remembered the feeling she'd woken up with the morning before, the guilt that lay heavy over her heart and prickled at her conscience. It wouldn't have made much of a difference if Henry did not know who Emma Swan was, but because it did, her actions alone made a world of a difference and she knew, after hours of being unable to sleep, that keeping Henry from his biological mother would only further strain the relationship they had. She decided after hours of going over the pros and cons of allowing Emma Swan into not just Henry's life but her own, that it was best to stay on neutral ground for the time that she would be there in Storybrooke.

Yet, everything completely changed the night before. If the blonde hadn't kissed her, she would still be questioning whether or not she'd made the right decision on letting her guard down, on allowing Emma to see Henry if that was what she so wished. Her own feelings were causing her to feel so much more than she'd felt in longer than she could remember.

When did she start to find the blonde stranger attractive? Was it during breakfast the other morning, was it during the walk down to the docks with Henry rushing ahead to feed the water fowl, or was it when she'd shown up at the front door for dinner, smiling and looking as nervous as Regina had felt in those few moments she opened the door and Henry rushed past to throw his arms around his other mother like it wasn't the first time he'd ever done such a thing.

Was it when they found themselves alone after dinner, the small smiles and the laughter that followed as they talked about nothing in particular? Was it when they retired to the den, wine in hand, and sat in what Regina had found to be comforting silence? Or was it when she caught Emma eyeing her in the kitchen before they finally had dessert? Perhaps it was in that moment because she had allowed herself to fully look at the woman, still bustling with nerves, as they stood in the kitchen alone together.

She definitely had felt an attraction long before Emma surprised her and kissed her seemingly out of nowhere. It burned a fire deep inside of her and there was no denying or mistaking that connection that grew tenfold in the first lingering moments of that first kiss. There was also no denying that she couldn't get enough of the blonde woman and that she'd thoroughly enjoyed those moments they had before it came to an abrupt stop. What it all meant, however, was something she still toyed with in her mind, her throbbing, hangover addled mind.

"Yes, what is it?" Regina called out at the soft knock on her office door. She clenched her jaw as Mr. Gold strolled in, not even hesitating to close the door behind him. "What can I do for you?"

"After our last meeting, I've come here to discuss a rather alarming discovery I've made in the time since I saw you last."

Regina raised a single eyebrow as the man steadily walked towards her desk and took a seat in the chair placed in front. "And what alarming discovery would that be?"

"The curse has been put at jeopardy it seems, and to no avail I have tried to discover just why that is," he said and he held up a hand when Regina opened her mouth to protest, to tell him to get out of her office before she called the Sheriff on him. "For some reason or another, dearie, you've seemed to have forgotten everything. I cannot help but wonder if the alluring stranger in town has something to do with it, one way or another. But you will listen to everything I say, because as you once told me many, many years ago, there is always a trigger no matter how lost in the dark one becomes, that trigger will pull them back into the light."

Regina blinked as she stared at him and an eerie sounding laugh escaped past his lips. As she was about to reach for the phone to call for the Sheriff, he slammed his cane down on her desk.

"I suggest you listen to what I have to say, dear, because whatever curse has suddenly enveloped you, I'm more than certain you will want to find a way to defeat it…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: So, this story turned into something else completely and I've been desperately spending this weekend trying to finish it! (that so far has happened somewhat successfully) I can tell you, however, this marks the halfway point of this story that was never supposed to be very long in the first place!**

* * *

Henry sat on the edge of the castle, waiting for Emma to join him as she'd promised when she saw him after school an hour before. He sighed loudly as he swung his feet over the edge and pulled out his book. He'd been desperately trying to make sense of the stories he read and why it affected him in ways he still couldn't understand.

"It should be simpler than this," he muttered under his breath and gripped at the edges of the book as the page stayed open to an image of the Evil Queen. "Everyone in all these pictures look too familiar," he whispered to himself. "Why?"

The longer he stared at the picture, the more uneasy he had started to feel. He'd had his ideas and his own theories, but none of it made sense in his mind. It wasn't like he could talk to anyone else about it and he was already going through enough darkness in his mind to burden Archie with _this_.

As he reached the end of the book, he stopped on a picture of Prince Charming holding a baby, the name "Emma" clearly written on the baby blanket. The wheels in his head were turning, a part of him wanted to doubt that feeling that everything he'd read in this book was true, that it was real, and another part of him wanted to chalk it up to just a random coincidence. He flipped to the last page, but he failed to notice that there was an entire new paragraph written. His eyes lifted from the book in alarm as he saw one of the Sheriff's cruisers pull up near the park on the road and come to a stop.

"Emma?" Henry's face furrowed in confusion as she watched her climb out from the driver's side. "Why are you driving a police car?"

"Looks like I'm the newest deputy in town, kid," she said, flashing her badge she had on her belt up at him before she climbed up the structure to sit down next to him. "Your mom talked to the Sheriff this morning and pulled some strings."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're a _deputy_ now?"

"That was my reaction," Emma chuckled. "Still reading that book, huh?"

Henry shook his head, snapping the book shut and quickly placing it in his bag. "No, not anymore. So, how did you become a deputy, anyway?"

"Like I said, your mom talked to the Sheriff, said I was more than qualified for the position. He called me into the station and offered me the job."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that, kid."

"Unreal."

"You're telling me," Emma chuckled again as she ran her fingers over the badge on her belt idly, suddenly seeming lost in thought. "How was school today?"

"Same as always."

Emma just nodded and Henry sighed loudly as he slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder and rose to his feet. "What's up? Where are you going?"

"I have to go home," Henry said as he rushed down the steps of the structure and jumped from the second last step into the soft sand below. "My mom doesn't like it when I'm late for dinner."

"Let me drive you," Emma offered as she followed him towards the street. "Henry, come on, it'll be quicker if I just drive you home."

"Are you going to stay tonight?"

"I—I don't know," Emma stammered as she stopped in front of the car. "That'd be up to your mom, kid."

"Come on, we're practically a family," Henry said as he climbed into the car and he frowned at the look that fell upon Emma's face before she made her way to the drivers door. "We are family, aren't we?"

"It's not that simple—"

"But you're my _real_ mom."

"I know, but it's still not that simple."

"It should be."

Emma laughed quietly as she pointed to the seatbelt beside him before pulling her own across her body and the click resonated through the quiet in the car. Henry followed suit and just watched Emma as she backed up the car and turned around, the police scanner chirping and squealing as voices sounded over it quietly. Emma reached over and clicked it off, smiling at Henry as she made a few turns and headed for the Mills house.

Henry pulled the book out from his bag, flipping through the pages as Emma drove through the streets. He frowned as he looked at the picture of Prince Charming holding the baby and he traced his fingers over Emma's name. He kept having that feeling that he was missing something, something huge he just hadn't figured out yet.

"What's up with that book anyway, kid?"

"Nothing."

"You sure are attached to it. Didn't think boys your age liked fairytales."

"They aren't like any fairytales I ever read before. You wouldn't understand. Like I said, I don't think you're ready yet."

"Ready for what, kid?"

"To hear what I really think about the book," he said quietly and he traced his fingers over Emma's name again before he closed the book abruptly.

Emma cast a sideways glance at him and he knew she was trying to figure him out. He was right though, she wasn't ready yet to hear what he had been thinking about the book, the stories, the characters, and how he was looking for something he couldn't quite figure out yet. He knew he'd get it eventually, that the pieces of the invisible puzzle he could see would finally come together when he least expected it. After all, he believed in magic and the two wishes he'd made upon a star had finally come true.

"Alright, kid, hop out," Emma said as she pulled to a stop in front of 108 Mifflin Street and put the patrol car into park. "Well?"

"Aren't you coming, Emma?"

"Maybe I shouldn't."

"Why?"

"It's…complicated, kid."

"Why?"

Henry frowned as Emma climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut behind her. He watched her walk around the front of the car and she pulled the passenger door open. She motioned for him to get out and with a heavy sigh, he undid the seatbelt and climbed out of the patrol car. Together they walked up to the front door and Henry frowned again as he tried to open it and found it locked.

"My mom is probably still at work," he said quietly as he moved to sit down on the front steps.

"Right," Emma nodded as she sat down next to him. "Well, I'll wait here with you until she gets home, okay?"

"I don't need a babysitter."

"I beg to differ, kid."

Henry rolled his eyes as he dropped his backpack in front of his feet, the book poking out of the part that was unzipped. Henry tried to stop Emma as she reached over and grabbed his backpack and pulled the book out.

"So really, what's the big deal about this book, kid?"

"You aren't—"

"Ready, yeah you said that a few times already. Why?" Emma asked him as she held the book on her lap. "Look, I get you don't wanna talk to me about it, whatever it is, but—"

"I don't know what _it_ is yet. I'm still trying to figure it all out."

"Right," Emma sighed and she handed the book to him. "How about you read me your favourite story while we wait for your mom to get home?"

"Really?"

"Sure," Emma smiled at him. "Been a long time since I read any fairytales. So?"

"These aren't like any fairytales you've heard before," Henry said and he flipped to the story of Snow White and Prince Charming. And their baby, Emma, who shared the same name as his birth mother. He made sure she was paying attention before he began. "Once upon a time…"

* * *

Long after Mr. Gold had left, Regina sat in her office staring blankly at her desk, letting everything he said sink in completely. While everything sounded so completely crazy, she couldn't ignore this feeling that was ingrained so deep in her gut that maybe, just maybe, there was a shred of truth to the things that Mr. Gold had told her.

Pinching at the bridge of her nose, she glanced down at the dainty gold watch on her wrist and raised her eyebrows in alarm. She should've been home twenty minutes ago, preparing dinner. She moved quickly to gather her things, but despite being late and already worrying about Henry waiting for her to come home, her mind was still swirling over the tale that Mr. Gold had spun for her just a few short hours before.

_"I have knowledge that your son is in possession of a book, a very valuable and dangerous book that will reveal the curse and everything surrounding it," Mr. Gold said as he tapped the end of his cane against the floor. "If you choose not to believe me, take a look at the book he holds near and dear to his heart."_

_"What book?_

_"You know exactly what book I am speaking of," he replied with a throaty chuckle. "Look at it, read the stories, find the connection and it'll trigger your memories. Much as mine were triggered the moment I heard the name Emma Swan."_

_Regina's heart skipped at beat at hearing Emma's name, her mind reeling back to the night before and the way Emma's lips had felt upon her own, how intense the moments they shared had been and how, ever since she left, she had been unable to wipe the blonde from her mind completely._

_"It is not supposed to happen this way," Mr. Gold continued. "It is too early and the timeline is all wrong. I'm just surprised that you have suddenly forgotten. I had believed you tailored the curse so that you would remember all. Perhaps, your magic was far more unpredictable than even you knew at the time, dear."_

_"Mr. Gold—"_

_"Rumplestiltskin."_

_"Whoever you believe you are, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."_

_"Take a look at the book, dearie, and you'll enable the trigger. Whatever darkness has enveloped your life that has interfered with the curse will fade away and you will remember everything as you should."_

Regina sighed as she fished through her purse for her keys, suddenly remembering she'd walked to the Town Hall that morning because of the hangover she was inevitably suffering from. It wasn't an incredibly long walk, one she made sometimes on a daily basis, but with the pounding still occurring intensely in her head, and the fact that she was late returning home, the walk might as well have been a thousand miles longer than it actually was.

The fresh air and the walk home gave her time to think. To think about what Mr. Gold had come to speak to her about, to think about the nagging feeling in her gut that was telling her to listen to him, to _believe_ him, right down to what had transpired between her and Emma Swan the night before.

Even in her hazy dreams long after Emma had left and long after she'd gotten Henry back to sleep, she wondered what else might have transpired between them if Henry had stayed in bed. Her body reacted to the thought, the images that played through her mind and she held her head high, her shoulders back as she fought the blush that crept over her cheeks and the very apparent surge of arousal that coursed through her body at an alarming rate.

It didn't matter how hard she tried to push Emma Swan from her mind, those images that had been procured in her dreams were so much more vivid as she got closer to home. There was a driving need, an ache she couldn't shake nor understand and that same nagging feeling deep in her gut told her it had been far longer than she even knew since she'd last felt that way.

Just two houses down from her own, she heard the laughter coming from her son and the other that accompanied it sent delicious shivers down her spine, the other voice belonging to the woman who had haunted her all day long. She shook her head and smoothed her hands down her grey dress and continued on, trying in vain to ignore the salacious thoughts running rampant through her mind as she neared the sound of laughter coming from the front steps of her home.

Regina inhaled sharply as she came to the front gate. Sitting on her front steps with Henry was Emma, the book Henry didn't seem to go without these days open in his lap. Taking another breath, Regina shook her head, choosing not to remember what Mr. Gold had spoke to her about earlier and she smiled warmly as she opened the gate and both Henry and Emma looked up at her at the same time.

"Hi, Mom," Henry smiled as he quickly put the book back into his bag as Emma rose to her feet.

"Go on inside, Henry," Regina said as she handed him the keys. "I'll get dinner started and you need to get started on your homework."

"Okay."

"Ms. Swan," Regina smiled at her and watched her as she slid her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. "How is your first day as a Deputy coming along so far?"

"Good, yeah," Emma replied. "Sheriff Graham suggested earlier that I should patrol around town, get a good feel of the place, the streets and the people. I ran into Henry. He was alone. Again."

"I should've already been home," Regina replied as she clutched her purse with both hands. "I got rather caught up at the office and lost track of time. He isn't usually…alone like this."

"Right, he keeps saying he doesn't need a babysitter."

"And you think he does?"

"Don't you?"

"Henry and I have been having this discussion for months. He's rather adamant about being treated like a child and having a babysitter," Regina replied and she shook her head as she motioned to the front door. "Would you like to come inside, Ms. Swan?"

"Pretty sure it's Deputy Swan now," Emma chuckled.

Regina smiled as she walked past her and up the steps. "Are you still on duty?"

"Uh—"

"I could make you some hot apple cider or, if you would rather a hot cup of coffee before you return to the Sheriff's office I can make a pot instead."

Regina could see that Emma was fidgeting, almost anxious to leave and she wasn't going to push for her to stay despite the fact she really wanted to spend a little bit of time with the woman. Memories of the night before were plaguing her mind and all she could think of now was kissing her again. She was feeling and thinking like a lovestruck teenager and while she knew something like that would normally bother her, it actually didn't.

Turning on her heels, she looked down at Emma and couldn't stop herself from smiling again. With a slight gesture towards the door, Emma sighed heavily and followed Regina inside. She resisted the urge to look back, instead leading the way into the kitchen, her heels clacking loudly on the floor. A shiver ran down her spine as she entered the kitchen and placed her purse on the island counter.

"If you want to talk about last night, we both had a bit too much to drink and—"

"Are you implying what happened was because of the wine?" Regina asked, her heart thumping loudly in her chest as she turned to look at Emma. "That it was a mistake?"

"Wasn't it?"

Regina couldn't slow her racing heart as the feeling of disappointment washed over her completely. With a thousand different thoughts racing in her mind, the only one she heard more clearly that the others was the voice that told her to kiss Emma again, to prove to her that it was no mistake. She walked around the island to stand in front of Emma and as she held her breath, she wondered just what was possessing her to make her feel the way she did or just what was drawing her in to the beautiful woman in front of her.

"I don't believe it was a mistake," Regina whispered as she reached out and gently traced her fingers over the edge of Emma's red jacket. "But," she sighed as she gripped onto the lapels of the jacket and stepped closer, "but if you believe it was a mistake then I'll have to accept that, won't I?"

"Regina, I—"

She didn't let her finish as she planted her lips firmly on Emma's, kissing her softly as she gripped on to her jacket tightly, almost as if she were afraid that Emma would pull away. She smiled against Emma's lips when she felt her give in to the kiss. Her whole body responded to Emma the moment Emma's hands landed on her hips and pulled their bodies flush together.

"I don't know what's happening," Emma whispered against her lips. "I feel like I'm under some kind of spell because all I can think about since last night is you."

"Emma—"

"I keep thinking about what would've happened last night if Henry never woke up when he did," she continued, leaning back just a little to look into Regina's eyes. "I'm not the only one thinking that, am I?"

"No."

"I don't know what this is," Emma whispered and Regina smiled as she cupped her face and stared into her green eyes, finding herself becoming so lost in them almost instantly.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Regina asked her and Emma blinked, licking over her bottom lip before nodding her head. "I think we should just…let whatever is going to happen, happen."

"Just like that?"

Regina chuckled as she kissed her quickly. "Are you afraid, Emma?"

"Of you?"

"Of what's happening between us?" Regina clarified and she inhaled sharply. "Because all I can think about is you. About kissing you again. And again. I don't know what's happening either, Emma. You came into town out of nowhere and since last night I've been feeling something that I haven't felt in a long time and it's all because of you."

They were so close that Regina wasn't sure if it was her heart that was racing or if it was Emma's or both of them. Emma smiled as Regina slipped her fingers through her hair and it was Emma who surged forward first, kissing her hungrily as she moved to push Regina up against the island counter.

Regina felt the rest of the world start to slip away and the only thing she could feel was Emma's lips and tongue on her own, and the only thing she could think about was how good it felt to be kissing her, to touch her, to feel her body against her own. Emma pulled back from her lips suddenly, both of them breathing hard as they just held on to one another.

"Regina…I am. I am afraid of what's happening between us."

"Why?"

"How can this even be happening?" Emma asked and she took a deep breath before stepping back and putting some space between them. "You are a very beautiful and attractive woman, Regina, and I still can't figure out what made me kiss you last night. I keep thinking maybe it was the wine, but then I get this thought that maybe it was something else."

"Perhaps it was just meant to be?" Regina whispered and Emma looked at her with wide eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Do you believe in fate? Destiny?"

"I believe in a lot of things, I'm just not sure what to believe in right now. I can't even believe we're talking about this and it doesn't feel as awkward as it should be. We barely even know each other, Regina, but it doesn't feel that way. Not anymore."

Regina smoothed her hands over her dress as she understood exactly what Emma was feeling, almost as if those words had come straight from her mouth instead. Yet, she was at loss for words, her mind swimming still from that last kiss and all she wanted was to kiss her again.

"Coffee or cider?" Regina asked, her voice shaky as she waited for Emma to answer her. "Emma?"

"Oh, uh, coffee would be great."

Regina smiled as she walked over to the coffee maker and busied herself with measuring out the grounds. Her hands were shaking as she closed the lid and she could feel Emma as she stepped up behind her. She closed her eyes, not even bothering to fight the smile that curled over her lips as Emma's hands came to rest on her hips. She switched on the coffee maker before she turned around to face Emma and she was not prepared for the way that Emma surged forward and captured her lips in another wildly passionate kiss.

Regina slipped her hands inside Emma's jacket and she eased her jacket off slowly as Emma's hands gripped tight at her hips, their lips not parting as their tongues danced and fought for dominance. Regina knew now what Emma meant when she said she felt like she was under some kind of spell because she was feeling that now. The need to consume and be consumed by Emma was overwhelming and she couldn't resist the urge to touch her, to slide her hands over Emma's stomach and up to cup her breasts.

But she stopped herself, slipping Emma's jacket down her arms a little more as they continued to kiss deeply. Neither heard the footsteps descending down the stairs over the sound of the coffee brewing and their own gasps and sighs and breathy moans and neither heard the small gasp until it was too late.

Henry. Regina pushed Emma back quickly and she wiped at her lips with her fingertips, knowing her lipstick was most definitely smudged. Emma pulled her jacket off and draped it over the stool near her at the island counter and Regina could feel the burn in her cheeks as Henry stood there with a grin on his face.

"What's for dinner, Mom?"

"Shouldn't you be doing your homework?"

"Shouldn't you be making dinner?"

Regina's cheeks burned hotter and she didn't miss the small grin that slipped over Emma's lips as she kept her back to Henry. "I wasn't—we weren't—Henry, whatever you think you saw—"

"I know you were kissing her, Mom. I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to lie to me," he replied in a tone of voice that made him sound so sure about himself. "It's okay, really."

"Henry—"

"Are you guys together?" Henry asked and Regina didn't want to squash that look of hope shining in his eyes that was so clear to see.

"No," Regina said and she quickly looked over at Emma who was looking down, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her t-shirt.

"It's complicated right now, kid," Emma said as she looked over at him. "How about you quit with the questions and do what your mom asked you to do, okay?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at her son—their son—and yet he stood there with a satisfied smile curled over his lips, his eyes still filled with hope and wonder. It gave her pause for thought, wondering just what was going through his young mind in that moment. With a flash of a toothy grin, he turned and left the kitchen and moments later, Regina could hear his quick footsteps running up the stairs.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air and all Regina could do was turn to look at Emma once again. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, her mind now filled with questions she wasn't sure how to find the answers to. She didn't have another moment to think before Emma's lips were on hers, kissing her soft and slow.

"So, does this mark the beginning of us trying to make this situation uncomplicated?" Regina asked, her voice but a soft whisper against Emma's lips. "Or does this just bring forth more questions than we can begin to answer?"

"I don't know, Regina, but all I know is I feel this…force that is pulling me to you and the more I give in, the more amazing it feels. We might not be able to understand what this is or what is happening between us, but I can't stop wanting you."

"Wanting me?" Regina echoed, her face a mask of confusion as to what Emma meant. "How do you want me, Emma?"

"In every way," Emma said softly. "Can I have you?"

Her words were spoken as if she were in a trance, but it transfixed Regina into a trance of her own, knowing exactly what Emma was feeling because she felt it as well. And it was only growing stronger by the minute, stronger with every kiss and every subtle touch.

"Yes."

"Can we," Emma stopped as she looked down at her hands as she placed them on Regina's hips, her thumbs gently stroking over the soft material of her dress. "Can we do this slowly?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"This. Us. Whatever this is, can we do this slowly, Regina?"

She nodded, smiling in understanding, a smile that soon faded as other thoughts began to trickle through her mind. Emma wasn't planning on staying in Storybrooke and Emma had already voiced her plans to leave as soon as her car was fixed in a month's time, maybe even less. Would her decision change if Regina allowed herself to become involved with the other woman, or would her decision still stand regardless of what was transpiring between them?

"Regina?" Emma asked as she moved her hands to cup Regina's face gently. "What's wrong?"

"You're leaving."

"I am?" Emma asked, smiling as she tried to get Regina to look at her. "I thought I was staying…for coffee?"

"I did not mean at this moment," Regina replied, wincing at the coldness in her own voice. She shook her head and stepped away from Emma. "When your car is fixed, you will be leaving Storybrooke. You said so yourself—"

"Regina," Emma laughed quietly as she reached out for her hands. "That is still a decision I have yet to make. I know I might have already made one, but things are changing. Everything in my life is changing. With Henry, with you. Especially with you. Whatever is happening between us, I want to find out just what this is, what it means, and if there is…a future between us."

"A future?"

"Whatever that means," Emma replied quickly with a shy and awkward sounding laugh. "But, like I said, let's take this slowly. For both our sakes and for Henry. He might think that he understands, but he's still a kid and he doesn't understand the way relationships work, how they begin, or how they evolve."

"You seem to be quite knowledgable about this, more so than myself," Regina said, the smile curling over her lips as she reached for Emma's hands and intertwined their fingers with ease.

"I do, don't I?" Emma chuckled and Regina couldn't and didn't fight the urge to kiss her again. After barely a moment, Emma ended the kiss abruptly. "So, we need take a few steps back."

"And do what?"

"Have a coffee together, maybe talk a little, get to know each other a little bit more? And then, after we have coffee, I'm gonna go back down to the station so you and Henry can have dinner and you can explain to him that you'll be going on a date tomorrow night."

"I am? With whom am I going on a date with?"

"With me," Emma chuckled, her lips curling into a rather adorable little half-smile.

"I am, am I?" Regina asked, her own smile matching the one splayed out across Emma's lips, still slightly stained with the lipstick that had faded slightly from Regina's own lips. "And where, may I ask, is this date going to take place, Ms. Swan?"

"It'll be a surprise," Emma grinned and she licked over her lips as she let her eyes roam freely over Regina's body. It spurned something inside of her, white hot fiery lust that boiled deep down inside her very core. "So, Madam Mayor, will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?"

"Yes," Regina said, nodding her head before she laughed at how this felt so ridiculous and so right all at the same time. "Shall you pick me up around seven?"

"I shall."

"Wonderful," Regina said as she moved to kiss Emma, only to have Emma step back quickly. With a puzzled look on her face, she cocked her head to the side as she stared at Emma intensely. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing is wrong, it's just that we agreed to take this slow and that means no more kissing until after we've had our first date."

_This woman will surely be the death of me before I see her again_, Regina thought, but she nodded her head, complying to the blonde's request to take things slow between them. "No more kissing? Sounds like an unnecessary form of torture, dear."

"For us both," Emma chuckled and Regina just nodded, moving to grab two white mugs from a cupboard before pouring them each a cup of coffee. "And shouldn't you be getting dinner started, Regina? I'm sure Henry is starving."

Regina nodded as she turned her back to Emma to reach for the milk in the fridge and she tried to calm her already growing nerves and her shaking hands as she wrapped her hand around the carton tight. A date, something she had used as a guise to see Graham, but something she had not officially been on in far longer than she could even remember.

She was definitely nervous, unsure of where the woman would take her for their date, unsure of what would transpire or what the people in town would think if they knew the two were out on a date and not simply wherever they would be going as friendly acquaintances.

* * *

Mr. Gold paced around the back room of his shop, his mind spinning as he tried to figure out what had become of Regina Mills in the last handful of days.

Meeting Emma Swan had triggered his memories, memories of another life, his true life and form. And from those memories, he could not for the life of him figure out what would have compelled Regina Mills to have forgotten everything, the Enchanted Forest, who she truly was, and most of all, the curse itself that had placed them all there in Storybrooke for the last twenty-seven years.

Magic didn't exist in this land, but he could feel traces of it everywhere. He stopped pacing and gripped on to his cane before his line of vision fell upon a very old book, one that had crossed the realms when the curse took them all. A book of legendary spells and ancient magic long forgotten, long since ever been used.

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for and the information that lay before his eyes was clear as day. There was only one thing, he knew, that could cause Regina to forget all that she had made certain she would remember with the dark curse, and that was a wish.

Whatever wish was made, by whoever had made it, surely had no idea the ramifications that their seemingly innocent wish would bring. Now, he grew curiouser and curiouser as he flipped the page that provided only one reason, one simple thing that was far more powerful than the dark curse the Evil Queen had cast. True Love.

"Interesting, indeed," he said under his breath, his mind still racing, spinning as he searched for answers that never came. Answers he would find, no matter what it took.

But if he was certain about one thing, Emma Swan's presence in the town had changed something that night she crossed the town line, when she crossed the barrier that kept all on the outside from coming in and all on the inside from ever leaving. She was a year too early, as it had been foretold, but a wish, such as one for True Love, was indeed powerful enough to start to break the curse itself.

Was Emma Swan more than just the Savior? Was she, in fact the Evil Queen's one true love, there to break her free of the darkness that surrounded her own heart and the curse itself?

Only time would tell. And he smiled as he closed the book, knowing that maybe his chance to find his son would come far sooner than he imaged it would many, many years ago…


	6. Chapter 6

Emma drove slowly through the streets, her mind focused only on Regina Mills and the date she had asked her on out of nowhere. She couldn't understand what was happening or what had happened when she took Regina's offer to come inside her home for coffee before she returned to the station. She just knew she couldn't stop herself from kissing the older woman, from confessing just some of her feelings, some of her thoughts in a way she _never_ did before in her life, not even with her past—and brief—relationships.

Regina Mills had gotten under her skin and she was being pulled in, drowning in the growing feelings and emotions she felt whenever she just thought of her and how it magnified when she was in the presence of the other woman.

And the fire within her still burned just as hot as she pulled up in front of the station and turned off the car. She gripped at the wheel, unable to stop the sly smile from curling over her lips as she thought about kissing Regina, how urgently Regina had kissed her in those moments before Henry walked in on them.

She wasn't alone in wanting this, she knew that for sure now after the words that had freely been exchanged between one another. Regina Mills wanted her. Her, Emma Swan, out of anyone the woman could choose to be with, she wanted _her_.

"Hey, Deputy," Graham said as he tapped on the window. "Your shift is over, you know," he smiled at her as she climbed out of the car and moved to hand the keys to him. "Nope, keep those. I got my own car, you got yours. Plus, I do remember your charming yellow Bug is still out of commission and I'm sure you'll need some mode of transportation while you're not working."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he smiled at her. "But you're off the clock now so…I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Heading somewhere?"

"Inside to do some paperwork in my office and hope for a quiet night shift tonight, which, by the way, I'll need you to do a few of them from time to time."

"Yeah, no problem," Emma replied with a nod as she watched the Sheriff walk to the station entrance and disappear inside. Pocketing her keys, Emma strolled down the street before turning to walk up to the entrance of Granny's Dinner.

Emma's stomach grumbled as she took her usual seat at the counter and smiled over at Ruby as she made her way towards her. She stopped Ruby when she went to place a glass of ice cold water in front of her and she shook her head.

"Do you want cocoa? Maybe soda instead?"

"I'll have a beer, Ruby," Emma replied and Ruby nodded her head quickly, moving to get her a glass of beer. "Any new specials on the menu tonight?"

"Not unless you count going for drinks down at the Rabbit Hole," Ruby replied. "I thought maybe you'd want to come?"

"With you?"

"And Ashely and Mary Margaret. Girls night out. What do you think?"

"As much as I'd love to, I have to work in the morning."

"Come on, come out for at least one drink with us?" Ruby pleaded. "It'll be fun, trust me, and I know you don't really know anyone here and I thought it'd be nice for you if you got to know a few of us, made a few friends while you're here."

"Thanks, but right now I'm kind of really hungry."

"Right!" Ruby laughed and she rolled her eyes and she pointed at the board behind her. "Same as last night, unfortunately. Do you want me to get you the house burger or—"

"The steak looks good," Emma said as she scanned over the menu. "I'll have that instead."

"Okay, great. Let me know if you're coming tonight. We're meeting up out front around nine."

Emma smiled politely at Ruby, watching her as she scribbled down her order and passed it through the window into the kitchen. Emma sighed heavily, left alone with her thoughts and a date to plan.

If there was one thing she hadn't counted on when her engine died on her that landed her being stuck here in Storybrooke, it was falling for the woman who had adopted her son. _Her_ son. There was definitely no such thing as a coincidence as great at that one, not when her Bug had never up and died on her in all the years she'd driven it. She sighed heavily, absorbing the sounds of Granny's Diner and the customers enjoying their dinner all around her and her mind came right back to what she'd been thinking about before. A date. She was going on a date. With the Mayor of Storybrooke. A date and she knew she had to make it a good one or else the woman would simply be appalled at her attempts and no matter what they were feeling between them, it would be over before anything really even begun.

She looked over at the sound of Ruby's laughter as she tended to two woman seated in a booth, one with short dark hair, the other with blonde hair much shorter than her own locks. They were all laughing and she had no doubt in her mind that the two women sitting in the booth were the friends that Ruby had mentioned before. They lived in this town and they knew far more than she did. Maybe, just maybe, taking Ruby up on her offer to go to the Rabbit Hole for some drinks later would be a good idea.

She could make some new friends—aside from Regina—while she was in town and she could subtly fish for information on places that were suitable for a date. The only thing she did know she couldn't do was mention that she was taking their Mayor out tomorrow night, unsure of how Regina would feel about her gossiping with potential new friends about pursuing her.

When Ruby made the walk past where she was sitting to head to the kitchen to grab another customer's order, Emma reached out to stop her with a friendly smile fluttering over her lips.

"Hey, did you say you were meeting out front at nine?" Emma asked and she was greeted with a dazzling smile from the thin brunette.

"You want to come for drinks with us?"

"Sure."

"Yes, we're meeting out front at nine," Ruby said and she waved a hand at the booth she'd just walked away from. "That's Mary Margaret and Ashely. Give me just a few minutes and I'll introduce you to them."

Emma nodded, smiling as she leaned on her elbows against the counter. Maybe being stuck in Storybrooke wasn't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

Regina finished cleaning up in the kitchen quietly while Henry was upstairs working on the rest of his homework. All throughout dinner, she had to listen to Henry go on and on about his birth mother. If Regina hadn't found herself completely enamoured by the woman, it would have annoyed her to no end, but instead she found herself hanging on his every word and wishing that he knew more about her so he could tell her more about the woman who had stumbled into town and almost quite literally swept her off her feet.

She hadn't forgotten that just the other day she had nearly been knocked over by Emma at Granny's, doing what she'd always done and just walked away without a single word, not in any mood that morning to deal with idiots who couldn't watch where they were walking. What she did remember about that particular morning was the smell of vanilla, which she now knew was either some kind of body wash that Emma used when she showered or it was in her shampoo. Regardless, that smell had lingered with her right from that first morning until this very moment.

Her mind was going back to the fact that Emma had asked her on a date and the nerves came rushing back to her like no tomorrow. A date. An actual date and with a woman. Regina wasn't sure what she was more nervous of, going out on a date—something she hadn't done in longer than she could remember, or going out with an other woman on a date—something she had _never_ done nor even contemplated with the idea of doing such a thing.

"Mom, you okay?" Henry asked, startling Regina from her thoughts. "Mom? The water is running and you're just standing there. What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, Henry," Regina replied quietly as she shut the tap off, not realizing she had left it running after finishing up the dishes. "Shouldn't you be upstairs doing your homework?"

"I didn't have much to finish. It's done. Can I have dessert now?"

Regina nodded, using the damp dish cloth to finish wiping down the counters. She watched with a careful eye as Henry pulled out the tub of frozen vanilla yogurt from the freezer and dished out three perfect scoops into a bowl. Before he could even ask her if she wanted some, she shook her head no and put the tub back into the freezer as Henry ate standing at the island countertop. She licked the drop of frozen yogurt off of her finger, smiling at the taste of it. It definitely reminded her of Emma, not just the smell but the taste itself.

She had wanted to tell Henry that she would be going on a date with his birth mother the very next night during dinner, but she hadn't had the chance to bring it up. He had caught the two of them kissing and he hadn't been upset at all by it. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that perhaps her son _wanted_ them to be together.

"Henry, can I talk to you about something?" Regina asked and he nodded his head, continuing to eat his frozen yogurt out of the bowl slowly. "Now before you start asking questions, I just want you to know that what is happening between Emma and I, it's very new and…different, unexpected if you will."

"I know that."

Regina smiled at her son lovingly. He was such a bright, understanding child most of the time and she was forever grateful he had grown up to be who he was now. "Emma asked me on a date."

"Did you say yes?"

"I did, yes," she replied and he smiled brightly at her. "How do you feel about all of this, Henry?"

"Why does it matter how I feel, Mom?"

"Because you are my son and I want to make sure that you are okay with this, with Emma possibly becoming a part of not just my life, but ours."

"Of course I am okay with this, Mom!" Henry was beaming and he walked over to her and threw his arms around her tightly. "I just want you to be happy," he said as he didn't let go of her yet and Regina hugged him back just as tight. "That's all I want is for you to be happy."

Regina leaned down and kissed him on the top of the head. Without another word, Henry let go of her and finished up what was left in the bowl before washing out the bowl and the spoon quickly under Regina's watchful eyes.

"Where are you going on your date?" Henry asked and Regina just shrugged. "She didn't tell you?"

"No, it's a surprise."

"Oh," he smiled and shook his head, moving to hug her again. "I'm going to go upstairs and read before bed. Can you come and read to me before I have to go to sleep?"

"Of course, Henry," Regina smiled right back at him and watched him run out of the kitchen. His feet took him quickly upstairs and Regina just looked over the kitchen, satisfied that it was as clean as it always was, she retreated to her study, her mind still very much on the blonde woman who had completely invaded her every thought.

* * *

Henry laid on his stomach on his bed, propping himself up on his elbows as he flipped through the book he didn't trust to leave his side these days. He was starting to really figure it out, what the stories meant, who the people were. He had a lingering feeling that he knew exactly who Emma was, that she was the Savior and that she would be the one to break the Evil Queen's dark curse.

Of course he also came to the conclusion when he had been doing his homework earlier, avoiding the math questions for a little while to go through his book again, just who his mother was. At first he felt queasy, but it made perfect sense. She even looked like the Evil Queen in the pictures that were there of her. It should've scared him, after reading of all the horrible things she had done in her life, but it didn't scare him because she was his mother and she loved him as much as he loved her.

And for the past few days he had seen an entirely different side to his mother and he couldn't remember ever seeing her smile so much in all his life and he knew it was because of Emma.

The Evil Queen and the Savior, going on a date. Henry shook his head and laughed and he knew that if they knew what he did, things could be a lot different. He frowned at that thought. What if Emma had come to town another time and his mother did everything she could to get rid of her after finding out she was there? What if he had never made that wish for his mother's one true love to come to Storybrooke? He had noticed that the very next morning, there was something strangely different about his mother.

And he still couldn't figure out just what that was. Emma had kissed her, so why was the curse not broken yet? Henry flipped through the pages with hopeful, wishful thinking that he'd find the answers in the book, answers he knew weren't in there, but answers that he knew he needed to find out. And who were the other people? Were they people that he knew? The only one he'd figured out was his mother and Emma, seeing as it was obvious she was the Savior because her name was in the book.

His mind was racing as he continued to flip through the pages and at the sound of his mother's footsteps coming up the stairs, he moved quickly to change into his pajama's and flopped back down on the bed just as the soft knock came on the door. He smiled as his mother, dressed in blue satin pajama's and her grey robe.

"All ready for bed, Henry?"

"I just have to brush my teeth," he nodded and he jumped off the bed, his eyes lingering on the open book at the foot of his bed and over to his mother who was moving to sit down near the headboard. He moved quickly, practically running to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then he was back in his room, smiling at his mother as he climbed into bed beside her.

"What would you like me to read to you?"

"Something from this book," Henry replied as he pointed to the book still open on the bed.

"What is your fascination with this book anyways?"

"It's different."

"I see," she replied in an even tone before she started to flip through the pages. "Do you want me to choose or do you?"

"You choose something," Henry replied and watched as she stopped on the page where the story of the Evil Queen begun. He tried not to smile as he watched his mother's face carefully. This was definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

Emma ordered the third round of shots and carefully carried the four shot glasses over to the table. The women smiled at her as she placed the glasses down on the table and sat down next to Ruby. They had been at the Rabbit Hole for an hour and throughout all the laughter that easily flowed between all four of them, Emma had found it so easy to get along with them and she could easily see them all becoming friends while she was in Storybrooke.

"So, Emma, you've barely told us anything about yourself," Mary Margaret said sweet, raising her shot glass to Emma. "We know you were in Boston last and that your car broke down and that's why you're here, but what about before all of that?"

"That's a loaded question," Emma muttered and she downed her shot of whisky and placed it on the table in front of her. "It's complicated," she said as the others were silent and staring at her. "I've had a complicated life and it's been hard and I really don't want to sit here and talk about how shitty things were for me most of my life."

"Right," Ruby said before Mary Margaret could say another word. "I'm sure there'll be another time when you'll tell us that part about yourself, but for tonight it's all about having fun."

"And celebrating being single," Mary Margaret muttered under her breath. "Well, not so much on the celebrating part, but you know what I mean."

"I'm not single," Ashley laughed. "Sean's father is just…keeping us apart. He thinks that Sean can do so much better than me, but he's wrong."

"What about you?" Ruby asked, turning to look at Emma. "I mean, obviously you can't be seeing anyone if you were traveling alone, right?"

"I, uh…"

"Unless you've already met someone in the short time you've been here?"

"I might have," Emma replied and mentally kicked herself for letting the alcohol loosen her tongue. "I'm not sure it's anything, really," She continued, really not wanting to get into the discussion of her very private life, especially not when none of the women at the table had the first clue that their very own Mayor had agreed to go out on a date with her. "Forget I even said anything."

Ruby laughed as she casually slung her arm around the back of Emma's chair. "Come on, Em. We're friends, aren't we? Well, I mean we're becoming friends. You can tell us. Who is he?"

"I bet we know him," Ashley added.

"If it's Dr. Whale, run," Mary Margaret laughed.

"So? Who is the lucky guy?"

"It's not—"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Girl, then? Who is she?"

"She?!" Mary Margaret nearly choked on her cosmopolitan as she stared at Emma with wide eyes. "What? Are you…gay?"

"Mary Margaret, you can't just go asking people if they're gay!" Ashley laughed, the alcohol they had been consuming clearly getting to their heads. "If you are or if you aren't, Emma, it doesn't matter. What matters now is you telling us on who she is?"

"That I can't say," Emma replied quickly. "But it's not because I don't want to tell you, I'm just not sure she would be okay with that."

"So, we do know her?" Ruby asked and Emma said not a word as she reached for her bottle of beer and brought it to her lips. "It's not Kathryn, is it?"

"Who is Kathryn?" Mary Margaret asked and Ashely shrugged.

"Can't you at least tell us what she looks like?" Ruby asked and Emma shook her head no.

"No, I really can't and look, call me what you want, but I don't like putting labels on myself like that. If you really want to know," she said, pausing as Ruby and Ashely nodded and Mary Margaret looked mortified. "I've been with both men and women. It's not a big deal."

"You're right," Ashley said and she poked at Mary Margaret's shoulder playfully. "See? It's not a big deal."

"I think we need another round of shots," Ruby announced as she rose to her feet, moving quickly to the bar and left Emma sitting alone at the table with the other two.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Emma asked, trying to keep things from becoming even more awkward as it already felt. "I don't really know this town that well yet and uh, I was wondering, just for future references, where is a good place to go for a dinner date that is not Granny's?"

"What's wrong with Granny's?" Ruby asked as she placed four shot glasses on the table.

"Nothing!" Emma said quickly. "It's just—"

"Emma wants to know where to go if she's going to take her mystery woman out for a nice, romantic dinner date."

"I never said that!" Emma said as she stared wide at Ashley.

"Lumiere's," Ruby replied and the other two nodded in agreement. "It's this small restaurant and don't let the name fool you, it's not french cuisine as you'd think, but more like a mix of a lot of ethnic food, mostly Italian and French, though. It's quiet there and very romantic since Lumiere doesn't get a whole lot of customers."

"And don't let the lack of customer's throw you off, he does a lot of deliveries," Ashley added and Mary Margaret nodded, smiling as she stared at Emma. Ashley grabbed one of the napkins from the middle of the table and without a word, Mary Margaret pulled a pen from her purse and handed it to her. "Here, you'll need directions on how to get there. It's not on Main Street."

"Thanks," Emma said as she watched Ashley draw what looked like a map, starting at the Rabbit Hole. The others watched in amusement as Ashley drew out the directions and when she was finished, she handed it to Emma proudly. "Thanks, really. And Ruby? Thanks for inviting me out tonight."

"You're welcome to come out with us anytime you want, right girls?" Ruby said and the two nodded their heads, smiling at Emma. "Now come on, let's down these shots and dance!"

"Ruby, nobody else is dancing," Mary Margaret said in a hushed whisper.

"I know that, but once we start dancing, maybe the others will too!"

Emma laughed and she knew, especially in that moment, that when the time came that it would be more than just Henry and Regina making it hard to leave Storybrooke. It would be her new friends as well.

Maybe she wouldn't be leaving after all and if that was the case, she'd definitely need to find a place because she couldn't stay at the Bed and Breakfast for any longer than a month…

* * *

Regina glanced down at Henry, watching as he slept soundly. She closed the book and moved off the bed quietly, turning off the light on her way out the door. As soon as she was in her own bedroom, she tossed the book down on her bed, no longer able to hold herself together, not like she'd done for Henry's sake while she read him the story.

Her story. The story about _her_, the Evil Queen.

The very fact that everything came rushing back to her, everything up until that moment, the night that Emma had come into town, wasn't alarming, it was the fact that for the last couple of days she had forgotten who she was, just like everyone else in Storybrooke had forgotten because of the curse, _her_ curse.

She started pacing her bedroom floor, shaking her head, trying to find out why that had happened to her. Did someone cast a spell on her?

"No, that's absurd. There is no magic in this world," she said to herself and then she realized that this was what Rumpelstiltskin had been trying to tell her about, this very thing and he had been right when he told her that the book would be her trigger.

Despite it being nine and the fact her nine year old son was in bed and asleep, Regina quickly dressed in appropriate clothes and was in her car in minutes. The drive to Gold's shop was quick and she saw the light was on in his back room, the front door unlocked but the closed sign hanging in the window.

"Mr. Gold?" Regina called out as she walked towards the back room. "Rumpelstiltskin!"

"What is it?" Gold asked calmly as he walked out of the back room. "Regina."

"What happened to me?" Regina demanded and Gold remained where he was, a rather stoic expression on his face. "Did you do this to me?"

"Do what, dearie?"

"Cast some kind of a spell that made me forget who I am?"

"A spell? In a land without magic?"

"No, you are not going to stand there and deny this. Why? Answer me that, why the hell did you do this to me?"

"I did nothing to you, dearie, except to help you find your trigger, which I see has worked in your favour after all. Now, if you are done accusing me of what had happened to you, perhaps you will listen as I tell you what I have managed to unearth tonight. Answers to your questions."

Regina clenched her jaw and followed Gold when he motioned for her to. The back room was cluttered and on the table in the middle, amongst random items and papers, were three books, old and dusty, all laid out and opened to specific pages.

"I was concerned about you when I myself remembered everything the moment I met the Savior, Emma Swan," Gold started and he pointed to the first book, one that Regina had never seen before. "There is a reason why you were cursed, much like you cursed the rest of the people in this town, but in your case it was done differently I suppose you could say."

"Cursed?"

"Yes, cursed," Gold said, the word rolling off of his tongue easily. "So, I took it upon myself to do a little research, a little bit of digging to find some answers of my own. What I found was, well, rather intriguing."

"Why don't you just tell me what the hell I just went through?" Regina growled as she glared hard at him, resisting the urge to harm him in some way or another. "Who did this to me and what the hell kind of a curse was I put under?"

"You see, here comes the rather complicated part because as you are aware, Emma Swan should not have arrived here in Storybrooke for another year to come. I foresaw everything and the visions do not lie. Thus lead me to digging deeper," he said as he placed a hand on the next book. "What could possibly be stronger than the dark curse itself other than True Love? What could possibly be strong enough to make _you_ forget just who you are, if only just for a short period of time, and in a world without magic at that?"

A smile curled over his lips as he stared at her. Regina could not stand the imp, but he obviously had the answers she needed and he was dancing around it, testing her to the very end of her nerves. He placed a hand on the last book and inhaled deeply, his eyes watching Regina carefully before he continued.

"Before you barged into my shop, I found the spell. Well, a type of spell I should say, but one that is more of a wish. A wish upon a star."

"A wish?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow. "Really? That's what this was? A wish? Who the hell would wish for me to forget who I am and why?"

"Again, this comes back down to Emma Swan and the very fact that she was not due to arrive here in Storybrooke until next year, coming here to return your son to you after he ran away to Boston to find her," Gold said simply.

"This is ridiculous!"

Regina was shaking, but not from the anger bubbling in her veins, but because she had started to think about Emma and kissing the Savior, wanting more of her and she had agreed to go on a date with her the very next night. This was not supposed to happen, not to her, not with the very woman who had spent the last twenty-seven years not knowing who she really was, who her parents really were or the fact that she had been born in the Enchanted Forest.

Yet, it had happened because _she_ didn't remember who she really was either. It had taken being stripped of her own memories, her own sense of self, for her to find herself falling for the Savior when she should've only wanted nothing more than to kill her.

She didn't want to kill her. Regina didn't want that, no, what she wanted was to feel the way she'd felt before when Emma had kissed her, to feel that warmth in her cold, dark heart that she'd never felt before in her entire life. She wanted to feel Emma's strong arms around her, holding her, having her hands touch over her skin that made her feel like she had magic again.

And if Snow White only knew, she knew how much it would kill her that she felt this way about her daughter, the one she gave away with hopes of her one day coming back to save them all. A cruelly delicious smile curled over Regina's lips at the thought of how much that would destroy poor Snow White for good.

Only she couldn't hold on to that thought, that feeling, because her mind went right back to Emma Swan and the fact that she was going on a date with the Savior tomorrow night. And then there was the fact that she knew, deep down she knew just who Emma Swan was and she just couldn't let herself think that thought yet. She wasn't ready to think it or accept it and know that it was real, but she did know and she was now entirely too conflicted about the entire situation and everything that came right back down to Emma Swan.

"Are you all right, dearie?" Gold asked quietly, watching her with careful, cautious eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," Regina snapped. "Tell me, if it was foretold that the Savior wasn't due to arrive in Storybrooke until her twenty-eighth year, how was she able to cross the barrier that's kept everyone here from ever leaving and everyone on the outside from ever being able to enter?"

"Are you sure you want to know this?"

"Tell me."

"True Love, of course. She was brought here because her one true love is here in Storybrooke and that, dearie, is why she was able to cross the barrier. Don't you see, this wasn't supposed to happen at all and the only thing powerful enough to change a predestined is a wish!"

"Who made this wish? Did she?"

"No, it would have had to been by someone in this very town to make the wish or it would never have worked."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You know exactly what I am saying, Regina," Gold said tightly. "Whoever made this wish that was powerful enough to weaken this curse, to bring the Savior here early, to render you without your memories over the past few days since her arrival, they didn't wish for True Love for her. They wished it for you."


	7. Chapter 7

Regina paced in her bedroom frantically, her eyes glancing over at the clock every couple of minutes. The closer it got to seven, the more she paced and the more thoughts flowed endlessly through her mind.

She couldn't go on a date with Emma Swan, not now that she knew exactly who she was! Yet, she still had dressed, reading but not replying to Emma's text she'd sent earlier in the day asking her to wear something nice because she was taking her out to dinner. There was only one place in town Emma could be taking her and she knew it was Lumiere's.

What was she even doing? She had asked herself that question repeatedly during the day. What exactly was she doing going on a date with the woman that was supposed to be the one to break the curse she cast? What she should be doing is doing all she can do to get that woman out of her town and her life, not kissing her and agreeing to going on dates with her!

With only five minutes until seven, she knew she didn't have much time left to come up with a believable excuse as to why she couldn't go out with Emma tonight—or ever! Telling her the truth was not an option either, because she knew that she would be looked at like a crazy lady and most likely being looked at like she was desperately trying to come up with an excuse not to go out with her tonight.

Sighing heavily, Regina stopped in front of her mirror and checked over her clothes. She wore what she had on earlier, but she had changed her crisp white shirt and was now wearing her purple silk blouse, the top four buttons left undone to reveal the top of the camisole she wore underneath. She knew she looked great, she always did no matter what she wore and she knew that from some of the appreciative stares she'd received on a daily basis from people who could barely look her in the eye if she looked their way. She knew she was an attractive woman and she knew exactly how to play up every one of her assets.

"What on earth am I doing?" Regina asked her reflection, shaking her head as she leaned in to wipe at the small smudge of her lipstick just under her bottom lip.

The doorbell rang at exactly seven and Regina froze, turning to look at her open bedroom door so she wouldn't have to see the anxious look that had settled across her face. With Henry already at Granny's, staying there for a couple of hours under Granny's watchful eye, Regina was alone in the house and there was nobody downstairs to answer the door for her. Slipping on her black Prada heels, she took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs, the doorbell ringing once against just seconds before she reached the door.

"Hey," Emma grinned as she opened the door. "You look great, Regina."

"Thank you," Regina replied quietly, looking down at herself for a moment before letting her eyes settle on Emma in front of her. "Let me just get my things, I'll be right out."

Regina left the door open, her breathing becoming erratic a she grabbed her jacket and her keys. She took a few deep breaths as she slipped on her jacket, Emma just out of sight through the open door and she caught sight of her in the mirror as she poked her head inside.

She was the Queen, she didn't do nervous. She most definitely didn't date, but that had obviously changed and was fully out of her control. She also most definitely didn't do women, but it seems like everything she didn't do or wasn't had flown right out the window the very instant she met Emma Swan.

"So, I was thinking this whole no kissing until we've had our first date thing is going to drive me insane," Emma said as she walked up behind her.

Regina felt herself smiling as she turned around to face her. She nearly jumped when she realized just how close Emma was to her, but she barely made her surprise noticeable as she took in the sight of Emma staring adoringly at her.

Surprising herself, Regina closed the short distance between them and placed a soft and rather chaste kiss on Emma's lips, feeling that buzz burn through her body the very instant their lips touched. It was purely addicting, like power and magic, but it felt so different. It felt warm and it drew her in even further. All that from one small lingering peck on Emma's lips.

Stepping back, she let her eyes roam over Emma's body. Much like the clothes she'd seen her in since she met her, she was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a white button down cotton shirt and her red leather jacket. The boots she wore had a bit of a heel and were black and came just up to her knees. Her hair was curled a little more than she'd seen it before and she wore very little makeup, if any at all.

Yes, Regina knew that Emma Swan was absolutely stunning in every way and there was no sense in denying the strong attraction she felt for the gorgeous blonde. She had made a promise to herself after hearing what Gold had told her the night before. She would not allow herself to fall for this woman and here she was, standing inches in front of her, about to go on a date with her and all she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss her again.

Emma kissed her before she had a chance to either make a move or step aside so they could get this date over with. Regina knew that just a day before, she had felt so very different about the prospect of going on a date with Emma and she remembered feeling so anxious to see her again, to spend some time with her and to get to know things about her she hadn't already heard from Henry, which really wasn't a lot to begin with.

This kiss however, was nothing close to chaste and Regina found herself melting into Emma's insistent lips and tongue, kissing her back with just as much hunger. Emma's hands were not as hesitant as her own, her hands gripping at her hips and pulling their bodies flush together. Regina moaned as a rush of arousal flooded through her body and she didn't stop, fully enjoying every second she was practically wrapped in Emma's arms and lips and tongue that moved against her own just right.

"Mmm," Emma smiled against her lips, her hands sliding down from Regina's hips to grab at her ass, making her pull back with slightly widening eyes. "We should go."

"Yes," Regina whispered, barely able to find her voice as Emma stepped back and she found herself missing the close contact with her immediately. "Yes, we should go."

Without realizing it, a barely conscious thought, Regina moved to take Emma's hand in her own as they walked out of the house and stopped so she could lock the door. She didn't even let go of Emma's hand until they reached the cruiser parked on the street. Once inside the cruiser, she immediately found herself drowning in another kiss, this time she had been the one to initiate it.

What on earth was she doing? At that moment, Regina could really not care because the warming feeling she felt in her cold, dark heart was the only thing she could feel. When Emma pulled away, they were both left breathless and Regina's hands were shaking slightly as she moved to put on the seatbelt. Emma's hand was slipping in to hers as soon as the cruiser started to roll along the street and she smiled, mostly to herself, at the way that Emma just lifted her hand and kissed the back of her hand, letting her soft, warm and wet lips linger for a moment until Regina looked over at her with a smile on her face.

A smile she couldn't force away. A smile only there because of the way she felt just sitting next to the Savior. Her mind was racing and she wondered, just for a moment, if perhaps Emma wasn't just here to break the curse, but to save _her_ as well. To heal her broken heart, to lift the darkness from inside of it, to help her—dare she think it for a moment—learn to love again.

If Emma had noticed how different she was acting compared to the night before, she didn't let it on and instead she just drove to Lumiere's, making a wrong turn before Regina gently told her to turn around, guiding her to the small establishment. Once the cruiser was in park and their seatbelts were off, neither made a move to exit the car. Regina found herself staring hard at Emma, her green eyes staring right back at her, holding Regina's gaze.

"Regina, I—"

Regina moved to cup the back of Emma's head gently, guiding her in for another kiss, unable to stop herself. She slid her tongue across Emma's lips that parted easily for her, their tongues dancing together as they both shifted closer to one another, the center console making it impossible to get any closer to each other.

Regina tangled her fingers into Emma's golden curls, sighing contentedly against her lips. She couldn't fight this feeling, she was helpless against it because this very feeling was something that had been missing from her life, something she didn't realize she had been yearning for until she had it right there, quite literally in front of her.

"I can't stop wanting to kiss you," Emma said softly and she leaned into Regina's hand as she untangled her fingers from Emma's hair and placed it against her cheek. "But right now, we should go inside and have dinner."

"Yes, that is the whole point of us sitting out here, isn't it?"

"I made a few arrangements with Lumiere himself," Emma said, smiling at her. "We'll have the whole place to ourselves tonight, Regina."

Regina sighed in relief. At least she didn't need to worry about anyone in that town making her feel uneasy about this date, more so than she already was. Even though she had thoroughly enjoyed kissing Emma, and knew there would be so much more of that before their night was over, she was still asking herself why she was going through with this in the first place, her thoughts and feelings completely contradicting themselves.

They walked into the small restaurant to be greeted, not by Lumiere, but by a young waiter who said not a word as he led them to a small table in the dimly lit restaurant and the only table that had two candles lit, plates already set out, the silverware sparkling and the wine already poured into each glass, one with white and another with red for both of them.

"Dinner will be served shortly, Ms. Swan. Madam Mayor," the young man said, smiling at Emma and then at her before turning to exit to the kitchen post haste.

As they slipped off their jackets and sat down, Regina immediately reached for the glass of red wine, inhaling the intoxicating aroma before taking a ginger sip. All the while, Emma's eyes were on her, watching her every move. Her mind went back to the other night when they had nearly been caught by Henry. The weight of the gorgeous blonde on top of her was a memory that had lingered ever since and the feel of her hands roaming over her thigh as they indulged in one another had been tormenting her all day long. It was why she didn't give in to the urge to change into a skirt or a dress, not wanting a repeat of it and at the same time, wanting Emma's hands all over her body.

Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, she took another sip of her wine before placing the glass back on the table in front of her. She would get through this date and get a hold of her emotions and the feelings that this woman was making her feel and she would most certainly refuse for this farce to continue beyond tonight, but it didn't mean she wouldn't allow herself to indulge in kissing her again either.

After tonight, Regina knew that she would have to deny herself the pleasure of being around Emma Swan because she was most definitely not going to admit that Emma Swan, the Savior, was her one true love. No, she most definitely would never admit that because she didn't believe it to be true. It was just so simply ridiculous and she was choosing to ignore the feeling deep inside her that told her otherwise.

* * *

Emma watched Regina fidget nervously, sipping her wine and looking like she was far more nervous about being out on a date with her than Emma thought she'd be. Emma had been nervous as well, especially after making arrangements with Lumiere to ensure they would be the only diners there until he reopened the restaurant at nine. That now gave them an hour and a half for dinner and she was already nervous about where she was planning to take Regina afterwards.

There wasn't much to do in Storybrooke, but after a few more drinks with her new friends the night before, it had been Mary Margaret that suggested she take Regina to the beach and sit under the stars. Of course, even with a few too many drinks, Emma never let it slip just who her mystery woman was, but she was grateful that her new friends had cared enough to help her plan out this first date without realizing they were helping her for real.

"You're quiet," Emma said softly, wanting to reach out for Regina's hand and frowned when Regina placed her hand that was on the table in her lap just as she was about to reach for it.

"It has been a rather long day, dear."

Emma nodded in agreement and couldn't help but notice a small difference in Regina, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She hadn't failed to notice the surprise in Regina's eyes when she had answered the door and it was a look she hadn't actually seen before. She just kept reminding herself that there was a lot about the woman seated across from her that she didn't know, but it didn't stop her from feeling like she was connected to her.

It didn't make a lot of sense. She had never felt this way about anyone before and while it should scare her, it didn't because it felt so right. As Regina continued to fidget, her hand reaching for her wine glass yet again, Emma was starting to wonder if this was even a good idea to bring her here for their first—and likely last—date.

"Is this okay?"

"Is what okay?" Regina asked just before she took a small sip of her wine.

"Being here?" Emma asked and Regina paused, taking one more sip before nodding her head yes. "Are you not enjoying yourself?"

"The wine is quite good," Regina replied. "Did you pick it out or did you allow Lumiere to make the choice for himself?"

"I told him it was perfectly fine for tonight to be the chef's choice since this is the first time I've been here," Emma replied and she frowned deeply. "Was that not okay?"

"No, it's fine, Emma."

Regina's features softened as she placed her glass down and reached out for Emma's hand. She let out a shaky breath as she intertwined her fingers with Regina's, feeling the slight hesitation she had in doing just that. Repeating the move she'd made in the cruiser, she brought Regina's hand to her lips and lightly kissed over her knuckles, squeezing her hand as she lowered it back down to the table and let go gently.

Emma could not take her eyes off the brunette in front of her and even after they had started talking about Henry, mostly because Emma had started asking Regina questions just to kill the heavy tension that seemed to settle between them until dinner was served. She just hoped that whatever Lumiere had planned to serve them would be something they'd both like, mostly she was just worried that Regina would like it and would enjoy their dinner together.

First dates were always awkward. Emma knew this from experience and form listening to the stories from her friends the night before, all of them laughing drunkenly until Emma had decided her night was over because she had to work in the morning and so did they. This first date, she had hoped it wouldn't turn out to be that way and so far things were, despite the start their night had had with one hell of a kiss at Regina's door and a few others inside the cruiser.

By the time the food was served, the tension and awkwardness between them had eased some what and Emma glanced down at her plate, about to ask the young waiter what it was he'd just served them both, but he was gone, back in the kitchen to give them their privacy as per her request.

"It's Chicken Marsala," Regina said as she smiled at her. "It is quite good."

"Oh. Okay."

"Try it," Regina said, sensing her hesitation to try the chicken swimming in brown sauce and mushrooms on a bed of white rice. "You will absolutely love it."

After watching Regina take a few bites, she tried it herself and moaned quietly at the taste of the chicken and the sauce on her tongue. She had never had anything like it and it was just so _good_. Regina explained quietly as they ate that this was one of her favourite meals when she would order in from the restaurant. Like most of the night, she had left that very vague as well, but Emma didn't question her, she just wanted Regina to feel relaxed and at ease because of how she'd been acting right from the start.

Emma hadn't ordered or planned desert, mostly because she was sure nothing would top Regina's turnovers she'd had when she had stayed for dinner the other night and mostly because she was just anxious to get her alone on the beach and hoped to hell that whatever lingering awkwardness was there would disappear completely.

After they had left the restaurant and returned to the cruiser, they fell back into heavy silence again. She didn't say a word as she drove towards the small beach, the very same one near the playground with the castle Henry seemed to love so much and she parked the cruiser at the end of the road.

"What are we doing here?"

"I thought maybe we could go for a walk?"

"It's dark."

"I know, but the skies are clear and the stars are out…" Emma trailed off, frowning at the stoic expression on Regina's face. "I thought it'd be a nice way to spent a little time together, but if you'd rather me just drive you home, I can do that instead."

"A walk sounds nice," Regina smiled, something flipping a switch inside of her almost immediately. "I haven't been for a walk on the beach at night since before Henry came here."

"I also brought a blanket. I thought we could just, you know, hang out on the beach and talk or whatever under the stars. I thought it'd be like, romantic or something," Emma continued and she moved to climb out of the cruiser, sighing loudly as she shut the door and silently berated herself for acting like a complete idiot in the last handful of minutes.

Emma popped the trunk and pulled out the folded blanket, one she'd found at the station earlier and she tucked it under her arm and shut the trunk, turning to find Regina standing right next to her. She smiled at Regina under the faintest light coming from the nearly full moon.

"Shall we?" Regina asked as she casually linked her arm with Emma's free ones, her hands both sliding into her jacket pockets. Emma nodded and allowed her to lead the way to the small sandy beach.

The water was calm and there was barely a breeze and it was a beautiful night out. Emma was just thankful everything was working out in her favour, at least weather wise. She wasn't sure if Regina was enjoying herself and she had definitely seen this night going a lot differently than it had gone so far. The beach itself didn't go very far and when Regina stopped, Emma unlinked her arm and spread the blanket on the gritty sand and moved to sit down.

"It is truly a beautiful night tonight," Regina said with a small smile as she sat down next to her.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I am," Regina smiled and the way she said it, it almost sounded more like a question rather than an answer, but Emma took it for what it was and laid back on the blanket and stared up at the starry night sky. Once Regina was laying next to her, their hands reached for one another's and Emma intertwined their fingers as Regina moved to lay a little closer to her. "I have to say that I haven't done this in a very long time."

"Go out on a date?"

"Stargazing," she replied with a throaty chuckle. "And yes, a date as well."

Emma thought back to that first morning in town, after she had met Henry and they'd been in the diner. She remembered he'd mentioned his mom had gone on a date the night before and that it hadn't gone well, but Emma chose not to question Regina about it. Now was not the time.

All she could think about now was kissing the other woman and being so close to her, the temptation was becoming too strong to fight and there was no reason to. She knew that Regina was more than willing to indulge when it came to kissing her. Emma gently let go of her hand as she turned on her side and reached out with her left hand for Regina's right.

"Tonight has been a surprise."

"A surprise?" Emma asked, watching as Regina rolled on to her side to mirror her own position, bringing their faces inches apart. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yes."

"Can I kiss you?"

Regina did not answer her, at least not with words. She leaned forward, kissing over Emma's lips lightly, both of them letting out a soft gasp before Emma let go of her hand and wrapped her arm around Regina's body and deepened the kiss. She was surprised when Regina took control, pushing at her until she was on her back and Regina lay on top of her, the kiss becoming deeper and more passionate as Regina settled her weight on top of her body. It definitely surprised her, seeing that they were on a beach and not in the privacy of Regina's own home, but she was definitely not complaining, not as Regina sucked on her bottom lip and slipped a leg between her own.

Their bodies rocked together, seeking out close contact and much needed friction as they kissed hungrily, endlessly. Emma's head was spinning as her hands moved down Regina's back and she didn't stop until she reached her ass, grabbing it almost possessively and pulled her down harder against her right thigh. Regina moaned into her mouth and she smiled against her lips, doing it again until Regina pulled back, gasping as she looked down into Emma's eyes.

"If this is your idea of slow, I think we need to re-evaluate the definition for you, Emma," Regina smirked, her tone teasing, her voice taking on a huskiness that had Emma's whole body reacting. She bit her bottom lip, staring up at Regina as Regina thrust her thigh against her center, eliciting a throaty moan as their lips crushed together once more.

Emma kept one hand on Regina's firm backside and let the other trail up and under her jacket and shirt her fingers seeking out the warmth of her skin. Regina seemed to mirror her movements, her hand slipping under the front of Emma's shirt, fingers lightly skirting over her stomach, teasing at her skin with her feather-light touch. It was almost too much, with one of Regina's thighs between her legs pressing into her as Regina rolled her own hips against Emma's, the pressure she felt between her legs was growing and she needed more. She was so turned on, growing wetter by the second and her clit throbbed achingly as the need to be touched increased by the second.

"Fuck, Regina," Emma gasped, breaking away from Regina's lips. She almost held her breath as she felt Regina's fingers rising higher and she just stared into her eyes, watching and waiting as those very fingers came into contact with her braless breasts.

"Mmm?" Regina murmured as an eyebrow raised and she didn't stop, her fingers finding a semi-erect nipple that she teased over lightly. Emma's entire body reacted to the light touch, almost embarrassingly so. "Is this what you want, Emma?"

"Yes."

"You wanted me to touch you like this?" Regina asked teasingly, pinching at her nipples with a rather salacious smile dancing over her lips, much like the one she had donned the other night when they had first kissed. "If I didn't know any better, Ms. Swan, I'd say you planned this."

"I-I planned on kissing you under the stars tonight," Emma stammered. "Maybe making out and picking up where we left off the other day."

"Mmm?"

"Fuck," Emma groaned as she felt the flutter deep in her body as a small orgasm started to build from all the sensations her body was feeling. She couldn't control herself or her hands as one went to grab at Regina's breast and the other sliding between her legs to cup her over her pants. "Is this what _you_ want, Regina?"

"Not in public, dear," she moaned softly, her breath spilling over Emma's lips as she rubbed a hand over her center harder. "Emma—"

Emma leaned up to capture her lips in a hard, intense kiss, one hand rubbing over Regina as she bucked her hips against it, the other moving from her breast to the back of her neck to keep her from ending the kiss far too soon. Regina's and slid out from under her shirt and Emma whimpered at the loss of her teasing fingers, but when she grabbed her hip, pulling her harder against the thigh still between her legs, Emma couldn't hold herself back any longer. She gripped at the back of Regina's neck as a small orgasm rippled through her body.

Regina broke away from the kiss despite the tight hold Emma had on her, her hips continuing to buck and roll against the hand between her legs. Emma felt her face flush deeply, completely embarrassed she just came from dry humping Regina's leg like she was a prepubescent teenage boy. When Regina grabbed at her wrist, she stopped, staring into her eyes and trying to gage her emotions, what she was thinking about what was going on between them.

"Perhaps we should stop," Regina whispered. "As a police officer, you should know that this is a form of public indecency, no?"

"Yeah," Emma groaned as she moved her hand away and Regina moved to sit up next to her, using both hands to try to smooth out her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair. "Regina, I'm sorry if I went too far—"

"No, it's quite all right," Regina whispered before ducking down to kiss Emma square on the lips, rendering her breathless for a moment before they both sat up on the blanket together. "Tonight has been rather unexpected, Emma."

Emma brought her legs up and leaned her arms on her knees. "Yeah, it has been," she said disappointedly, wondering if this was the part where Regina flat out rejected her even after everything that had just happened since they got to the beach. "Do you want me to take you home now, Regina?"

"Is our date over already?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"No," Regina said with a shake of her head and a look of mild surprise at her own response. "Could we sit here for a little while? Perhaps we can use this time to talk?"

Emma nodded, smiling at her before turning her head to look up at the stars in the sky. So, maybe this date hadn't gone exactly the way she thought it would, but as long as Regina didn't completely hate it, she was now considering it a small success. She would, however, wait until the night was finally over before asking Regina out on another date, because if what had just transpired between them was any indication of their recent future, she was sure that things would be a lot more heated next time around. It was just a matter of Regina wanting the same things as she did and before she had been so sure, but tonight she didn't feel that way.

Emma shifted uncomfortably on the blanket before moving to lay back down and stare at the stars with her hands behind her head while Regina barely moved from where she sat. In some way, Emma was fine with the silence that enveloped them. It gave her pause for thought and a chance to calm her raging libido down to a more manageable level. When Regina finally moved to lay down beside her, she felt a bright smile curling over her lips at how close Regina made she she was, right at her side with her own hands folded over her abdomen.

No matter how this night ended, Emma was happy. And in some way, she knew that Regina was too.

* * *

Regina wasn't sure what had possessed her on the beach, it was if her body and her mind weren't even attached, but the moment the Savior had kissed her, something pushed her to take control and it surprised her how easy it was to melt into the woman beneath her. It was so easy just to lose herself in the kiss, in Emma's wandering hands, their bodies rocking together as they kissed passionately under the stars.

A part of her was appalled when she realized what they were doing. Making out on a beach, dry humping like a pair of teenagers without a single care in the world. She was a Queen, she didn't do such things, especially not such things with another woman. Yet, it had happened and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. After she put an end to things when the blonde had obviously experienced a small amount of release, she knew things had gone way too far for both of their liking.

They didn't really talk for the next hour they laid on the beach, which was fine with Regina because she had her own thoughts to keep her mind preoccupied long enough to keep her hands from wandering and her body betraying her completely.

By the time Emma dropped her off at her front door, walking her up to it, it was growing late and she still had to pick up Henry from Granny's. After a chaste good night kiss, she left Emma standing on her front door step as she closed the door and clutched at her chest as she leaned her back against it. Her heart was hammering in her chest as the warmth flooded right through it continuously and it didn't stop, not even long after Emma had left and she still stood where she was when she had closed the door.

She had mostly regained her composure after a time, trying to shake off the feeling like Emma had her under some kind of a spell, a love spell perhaps. It was a quick drive over to Granny's to pick up Henry and after paying the woman for watching him, she ignored the questions she received as she groggily led Henry out of the diner and to her car.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Did you have fun on your date with Emma?"

"I did," Regina smiled at her sleepy son. "Let's just get you home and into bed, shall we? Tomorrow you can tell me of all the sweets and junk food that Granny gave you despite my explicit instructions not to feed you any of those things."

"I only had a hot cocoa with cinnamon."

Regina frowned but said not another word as she drove home. Yet after she got Henry home and in bed, she found herself pacing her bedroom floor yet again for the second time that night and found herself contemplating Emma's proposal for a second date.

"Absolutely not," she muttered to herself. "One date and one date only. She is out of her mind if she things that I am going to go on another date with her."

Emma had given her a week to make a decision on the proposal for a second date and Regina knew, deep down she just knew, that she would change her mind over and over again. Because when it came to matters of the heart, she no longer had any control over that part of herself and it scared her because she was always in control, especially of herself.

The true love wish would not win, it would not make her give in to such ridiculousness that this woman, this Savior, was her true love, her soul mate. She was determined not to believe any of it, far too afraid that if she did, if she did by chance believe any of it, the next time she would kiss Emma could be the kiss of her very undoing and the end of her dark curse.


	8. Chapter 8

The following week, Emma found herself quickly adjusting to her life now in Storybrooke. She was making fast friends all around, settling in like she had lived there for her whole entire life. There was just one thing missing and that was the fact that she had barely seen Regina since she dropped her off after their date was over. Despite that, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about the woman who had completely captivated her heart and she hoped to hell she hadn't scared her off with the way their first and only date had played out.

Aside from working and thinking about Regina and wondering when she would give her her answer to her proposal for a second date, whether it be yes or no—she still hadn't heard either answer—Emma found herself spending time with Henry, meeting him at the park by his school during his lunch hour. It gave her a chance to get to know him and for him to get to know her. He never brought up his fairytale book since the week before and Emma was actually grateful because she still wasn't sure how she felt about the way he thought the things in the book were real. Henry did talk about Regina a lot and it wasn't until he started mentioning that she'd been acting weird that Emma started to ask him questions.

He said that his mother would get mad far easier than she used to and that it didn't take very much to set her off either. From him leaving his shoes on the stairs or not making his bed, he had been the target of the firing squad of emotions. She wasn't just angry, he had said, she was upset too and he told Emma there were times late at night when he would hear her still awake in her room, pacing the floor or crying in bed, much like she had done before Emma had come to town. That worried her, all of it did, because she had thought she'd seen happiness in the other woman's eyes in those few short days leading towards their first and only date.

"This isn't what I thought would happen when I made that wish," Henry said quietly as they sat on the castle together late one afternoon. "I thought she would be happy she found you."

"Whoa," Emma said as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Back right up there, kid. What wish are you talking about and what makes you think she'd been looking to find me?"

"Maybe you found her," he mused and he shrugged his shoulders. "I made a wish."

"What kind of a wish?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true," he sighed and he turned to her, tilting his head to the side. "I guess it doesn't matter because it either came true but it didn't exactly work out or it never happened in the first place."

Emma shook her head at him. For a kid, he was a lot smarter than she would've pegged him for, especially at his age. "What did you wish for, Henry?"

"For my mom to find her one true love. So she could be happy again. I've never seen her truly happy. Not really."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought you were a part of the wish, Emma! That night you stayed for dinner, I heard you two, I saw you two and I thought maybe then the wish had come true. I've never seen my mom like that. Like the way she was with you when you guys thought I was upstairs doing homework."

"You were spying on us, kid?" Emma asked, wondering what he'd seen and what he'd heard.

"Before we had dessert, I heard you guys talking and I saw you guys, you know, laughing and touching each other kinda," he clarified. "Emma, don't you like her? Was your date not good?"

"It was a good date, I guess," Emma paused and she sighed heavily. "And I do like her, kid. A lot. And I don't just go falling for people easy like this. With your mom, I can't even explain it. But it can't be because you wished it. Wishes don't come true, kid. Believe me, I know."

Henry frowned and they sat there in silence for a little while, just enjoying the late afternoon and the fact that it was rather warm for mid-October that neither wore their jackets and had them draped over their laps. Henry had her thinking more about Regina than she had all week and more about their date and wondering if she'd completely read Regina wrong when she insisted she had been enjoying herself.

Did she go too far at the beach? She only meant to kiss her a few more times, much like they had at the house and in the cruiser, but things had quickly escalated far out of her own control and out of Regina's as well. She was still embarrassed over the fact she had come undone so easily and quickly, but she'd been so turned on and Regina's teasing fingers pinching over her nipple and the way she had ground against her hand had just been too much.

"Did you talk to her yet?" Henry asked and she quickly shook her head no. "Why not?"

"I guess she's been busy this week, kid."

"Not _that_ busy, Emma."

"Right now things are a bit complicated and you'll understand more when you're older and you start dating," Emma said and she laughed as he scrunched up his nose and shook his head no.

"You said that before when I walked in on you two kissing in my kitchen! That things were complicated. How come they have to be complicated, Emma?"

"For a lot of reasons, kid."

"Like?"

Emma rolled her eyes, knowing he wasn't going to drop it unless she gave him some kind of an answer that satisfied his own curiosity. "We just met each other and we barely know each other."

"But you guys were kissing—"

"Yeah, I know, and that's what makes it complicated. Do you understand now?"

"Kind of. Not really," he replied and as Emma stared at him, she watched his face grow thoughtful as he stared blankly at the trees not far from where they sat. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"No, kid. I don't."

"You don't?"

"You'll understand when—"

"I'm older, you keep saying that," he chuckled quietly. "But why can't you believe in it? Just because it hasn't happened, doesn't mean you can't believe in it, right?"

_I've already experienced it. With your mother, but there's no way in hell I'm going to tell you that, kid_, Emma thought as she followed his line of sight, her thoughts kicking up another whirlwind storm in her mind again. "Say I believe?" She asked after a few moments of silence between the two of them. "What difference would it make?"

"A world of a difference!"

"I'm not foll—"

"Because then all we have to do is help her to believe too."

"Believe what?"

Henry rolled his eyes dramatically. "That you are each other's one true love!"

"Kid, I don't think there is anything real about—"

"But there is! I found this," Henry said and he moved to grab his backpack quickly. "I found this in my mom's room the other day. I don't think she's noticed it's missing yet."

Emma took the small and old leather-bound book from his hands as he thrust it at her. Every page was handwritten, some of the ink fading near the edges. As she flipped through each page carefully, she realized just what kind of book this was. What kind of stuff was Regina Mills into if she had a book on spells and potions? Shaking her head, she stopped on a page that had been earmarked by a post-it note and read the small note at the bottom of the page.

About True Love. By the time she finished it, she found herself staring blankly at the book laid out in her lap, her fingers clutching the edges of it. It had described the feeling one would feel when in the presence of their true love and every word on that page, written in such elegant cursive writing and fading ink, every single word was everything that Emma had felt even just being in the same room as Regina.

"Now do you believe?" Henry asked and he gently took the book back from her as she managed to break her blank gaze away from it. "You do, don't you?"

"You know what, kid? I think I'm gonna take you home and see if your mom is around. I think there's something I need to talk to her about. And no, it's not about what you and I just talked about either and I think this," she said as she pointed between them, "needs to stay between us right now, okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise me?"

"I promise, Emma."

* * *

Regina pulled up to the house at exactly five o'clock and she headed inside, calling out Henry's name as she dropped her purse and keys on the dining room table. When she got no response, she quirked an eyebrow as she slipped off her jacket, draping it over the end of the bannister before she climbed up the stairs and found Henry's room empty.

It wasn't a surprise to find him not at home, she knew he'd been spending time with Emma during his lunch hour at school and sometimes after school as well. She couldn't go back on her word, whether she was of conscious thought at the time or not. She had told Emma it was all right if she spent time with Henry and going back on her word now would cause a lot more problems than she was remotely prepared to deal with emotionally.

The past week had been an emotional one for her and she hated feeling so out of control. This wasn't like her at all and she chose to blame whoever had made that ridiculous wish that had nearly led her to destroying her own curse. If Gold hadn't found a trigger that worked on her, she would still be in that state of mind she'd been put under, causing her to forget the most important part of herself. And through the few talks they'd had over the last week, he told her there was without a doubt that if she hadn't found her trigger and was still in that state of mind, that part of her would've readily fallen for Emma Swan and let herself believe that the woman was truly her one true love. The curse would've been broken within days, he had told her and hearing that made her almost quite literally go out of her way to avoid the Savior at all costs.

That meant that several of Emma's texts had gone unanswered, most of them asking her if she had decided whether she wanted to go out on a second date with her or not. She hadn't said no and she hadn't said yes either. If she was honest with herself for just one moment, she knew she wanted to go out with Emma again. She had fully enjoyed herself with her and despite things going a little too far on the beach, she realized throughout the week that it had been her doing. She had been the one who pushed Emma back on the blanket and she had been the one that had rolled on top of Emma and continued kissing her.

She hadn't stopped Emma from cupping her and rubbing her over her pants either, nor did she stop her own wandering hands from slipping under Emma's shirt and teasing her to the point where she knew Emma had a small release and she could admit it now, a whole week later, that she had felt it in her own body, a fluttering that burned deep inside of her and filled her whole.

Regina had struggled all week in dealing with everything the blonde Savior had made her feel and when she went to Gold just days ago, demanding he find some kind of answers for her without even having to explain what she was going through, he seemed to just know and gave her a book that on one page, and just one little footnote, there was a thorough description of True Love and how one would feel when they encountered it.

She read over it a hundred times that first night, barely sleeping as she wrestled with her emotions and her thoughts. She had felt every single one of those things and she denied it all, not wanting to give in to believing it to be true, not for one single moment. She had, however, managed to convince herself that this entire thing was definitely some kind of a spell and whether or not Gold was behind it, she was certain she'd find the culprit one way or another and make them pay severely for doing this to her.

It was a form of torture, emotional torture was is exactly what it was. Emma Swan was the bane of her existence at the moment because she was all that Regina could think about. It made her suffer, her mood swings coming and going on a whim and without warning, her dreams filled of nothing but the gorgeous blonde night after night, even her work suffered because she couldn't even sit at her desk and do paper work in silence without these very thoughts filling her head.

Poor, sweet Henry had been at the opposing end of some of her emotional outbursts. She hadn't meant to yell at him the way she did and she would apologize excessively the very next day and sweet little Henry always forgave her without hesitation.

Regina headed downstairs, ready to make her way to the kitchen to start dinner when the front door opened and Henry bounced in, Emma right behind him with him dragging her inside by her hand. She looked hesitant to be there and Regina stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes on Henry not Emma.

"You've been avoiding each other all week," Henry said as he came to a stop in front of her, Emma right behind him trying to pull her hand free from his. "Emma wants to talk to you, Mom, and I think you should listen to her. I'm going to go upstairs and get started on my homework."

Regina closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose, not looking at Emma as she turned on her heels and headed for the kitchen. She didn't have to turn around to know that Emma was right behind her. She could literally feel her all over and it made her heart race and her whole body was reacting just with her presence.

"How have you been, Emma?" Regina asked evenly as she pulled opened the refrigerator and pulled out some lean pork chops she had defrosting in there since that morning.

"Been busy," she shrugged as she moved to lean against the island countertop on her elbows and Regina busied herself with opening the package of four lean pork chops. "What about you?"

"The same."

"This is ridiculous," Emma muttered and Regina instantly found herself being spun around and pressed up against the countertop. "Are you avoiding me for a reason, Regina, because I thought after I dropped you off things would be a lot different this week? Did I do something wrong? Did I take things too far when we were on the beach, because I've been trying to figure out what the hell is going on between us all week and why you haven't even text me back?"

Regina found herself lost in the questioning green eyes that held her own gaze and Emma's hands were on her hips, not letting her move an inch. Emma's boldness shouldn't have taken her by surprise since she'd already been on the receiving end of it a few times already.

"Regina, just answer one question if you can't answer me any of that. Will you go out with me again?" Emma asked. "Just say yes or no and I'll leave it at that."

"Yes."

"Yeah?" Emma grinned and Regina swore she could feel the bursting happiness making it's way from Emma's body and into her own. "Really?"

"On my terms this time."

"Terms? What kind of terms?"

"One," Regina said as Emma let go of her and took a step back. "You need go and change your clothes before you return here for dinner," Regina said as she took in her outfit.

It wasn't that she couldn't appreciate the blonde in skinny jeans, she just knew she had worn those clothes all day, the white tank top under her leather jacket evident of that with the few faded coffee stains near the hem. Ignoring that, Regina let herself soak in the sight of Emma's face as she stared at her, a small half-smile dancing over her lips.

"Two," Regina continued, her eyes lingering down the smooth expanse of Emma's next and over the two necklaces she wore and down to the top of her cleavage just poking over the tight shirt. She swallowed and licked over her lips, remembering how soft her breasts had felt in her palm that night, how hard she'd made her nipple just teasing over it with her fingers. From her vantage point, Emma most definitely had gone without a bra again that day.

"Two?" Emma asked, her lips curling into a teasing smile.

God, this woman was infuriating and Regina easily admitted that it actually turned her on in the strangest way. Nobody had ever treated her the way Emma did, not as the Queen and not as the Mayor either. Emma had basically swept in and swept her off her feet and now she was standing in her kitchen, listing off the terms for a second date and losing her train of thought because her eyes were roaming over Emma's chest, just barely able to make out the hardening peaks that were suddenly no longer hidden by the red leather jacket.

"Two, you will return here within the hour for dinner. By that time, dinner will be ready and I will have made arrangements for Henry to be elsewhere for the next several hours."

"Okay."

"Three," Regina said and she licked over her lips again as Emma took a few steps forward and closed the gap between them with ease. "You and I are not going to have sex tonight, so please do not expect things to go in that particular direction just because we are in the privacy of my own home."

"Okay," Emma chuckled as she slipped her hands over Regina's waist and leaned in, her lips just a hairsbreadth apart from her own. "I don't fuck until the third date anyway, so you're safe. Is there anything else or are those three things your terms for tonight?"

"Yes."

"Okay," Emma said and she pressed her lips ever so lightly against Regina's and she could feel the small smile curling over Emma's lips as she finally placed her arms around Emma's neck and pulled her in for a deeper kiss.

She just couldn't stop herself from doing it. She _needed_ to kiss her, she needed to feel the blonde's lips against her own after a week without and a week of her recent memories torturing her to no end. And she wasn't so sure about sticking to her third term either, not if Emma kept kissing her the way she was in that moment, slowly and deeply, teasing her tongue over her own and sending tiny shockwaves of pleasure through her body all at once.

It was pure torture, the amount of sensual arousal that flooded her body, betraying everything she had fought relentlessly all week long, and it was increasing by the second and it didn't help that like Emma's own wandering hands, hers too were all over Emma's body. Taking advantage of the heat of the moment, Regina clutched at the back of Emma's neck as she eased a hand between their closely pressed bodies and snaked it up under her shirt, her fingers skimming over the hot flesh as she reached her braless breasts.

Regina pulled back suddenly when Emma's hands found their way to her ass and squeezed at the pliable flesh hard. It brought her back down to reality and she slipped a hand out from under Emma's shirt before she could palm her breast and tease her fingers over semi-erect nipples.

"Mmm," Regina moaned as Emma sucked on her bottom lip before parting from their heated kiss. "Run along, dear. I'll get dinner started. You have one hour."

"Y-yes, Regina. I'll see you in an hour," Emma grinned, pulling her in for one last quick kiss before she walked out of the kitchen and moments later out the front door.

Regina gasped as soon as she heard the front door close and she practically was trembling as she braced herself against the countertop. She wasn't sure how she would get through the next couple of hours, especially not if Emma left her feeling just like that, dancing on the edge with hot, searing hot arousal pumping through her veins. The power of that kiss, of Emma herself, was simply intoxicating.

And that, she reasoned with herself, is why she'd given in to the second date in the end. On her terms, of course. Because if the Savior was going to have another date with the Queen, it would happen no other way.

* * *

Emma sat in the cruiser outside the Mills' house, watching the clock on the dashboard as the hour drew to a close. Of course it hadn't taken her long to return to her room at the Bed and Breakfast to change her clothes, feeling completely mortified when she removed her shirt to find small yet faded drops of coffee near the hem.

Not failing to notice the appreciative look she'd received when Regina, without a doubt, had taken a strong interest in her breasts, enough to render her nearly speechless for a few lingering moments and practically forgetting that she was in the middle of listing off her ridiculous terms for their date that night. A date that surprised Emma because all she wanted was an answer and had not expected that Regina would want for it to happen in an hour's time.

She was dressed in the only clothes she had left that were clean, swearing at herself when she'd gotten dressed that she should've done her laundry days ago. She wore black leggings and a black button down shirt that was long but not baggy and underneath she wore her last clean tank top, skipping the bra since Regina had definitely appreciated the fact she'd gone without not once, but twice in the last week.

Her outfit was nothing to be wowed over, but it was comfortable and casual and she already knew that Regina was going to one up her. She had done just that every day that Emma had managed a passing glance at her during some of her patrols around town.

As soon as the hour was up, she was out of the cruiser and was about to ring the doorbell when Regina opened it. This time, things didn't feel nearly as awkward as they had at first when Henry had dragged her into the house an hour ago so the two of them could talk. A part of her was grateful because if it wasn't for the kid, she probably would've bolted before growing a pair and walking into the house on her own accord.

What surprised Emma the most was the fact that dinner had been rather casual and they ate in somewhat comfortable silence in the dining room that wasn't set with candles lit in the middle or anything remotely romantic. It didn't bother Emma, actually, because romance wasn't really her thing and she'd only taken Regina to Lumiere's the week before because she had stupidly assumed that Regina was the kind of woman who wanted that cliché romantic date.

Something still felt different about Regina now than when she'd first met her, but she chose not to let it take over all the other thoughts in her mind. Thoughts like those could wait until she wasn't currently sitting on the couch in the den, a glass of wine in her hand with Regina standing by the fireplace, poking at the wood logs as the flames licked around them, setting the wood ablaze slowly.

Emma found herself staring at Regina, her eyes trailing over her body now that she had a completely unrestricted view of her body in the tight black dress she'd changed into before Emma had returned to the house as requested upon her terms. Sure it seemed completely ridiculous, but then again she barely knew the woman other than knowing the attraction she most definitely felt was most definitely mutual.

If it wasn't she wouldn't even be here right now, sipping wine from a bottle that likely cost more than a month's salary that she was being paid at the Sheriff's station. Regina had fine taste, the signs of it everywhere from the clothes she wore, to her home, to the quality of her food and right down to the very wine she'd brought out for them to sip and enjoy. Regina Mills was the complete opposite of Emma in every way and yet they were drawn to each other.

Maybe it was true, maybe Henry had been right. Maybe his wish really had come true. It would explain a lot of things, too many things Emma didn't want to think of as the gorgeous, breathtaking woman in front of her turned from stoking the fire and smiled as she picked up her wine glass on the coffee table and moved to sit next to her.

"Dinner was great," Emma said quietly, hoping to end the heavy silence that had engulfed them since they'd moved from the dining room to the den. "Thank you for inviting me over tonight."

"It is my pleasure, Emma. I'm glad you enjoyed the meal. Aside from lasagna, it is one of my personal favourites. How are you finding the wine?"

"It's good."

"Hmm," Regina smiled as she raised the glass to her lips and took a rather healthy mouthful, her eyes staring hard at Emma as she moved to cross her legs and turned to face her a little more. "I haven't had this particular year in a very long time. I thought you would enjoy sharing a bottle with me tonight."

Emma's mind flashed back to the first time she'd been invited for dinner and how the wine had flowed so freely that night that they ended up making out on the very same couch they were sitting on now. Emma chose that moment to practically down a good portion of her wine and she was met with a rather amused look on Regina's face when she swallowed hard. A look that quickly faded as a frown appeared over Regina's previously smiling lips.

"I had hoped that tonight would be different than our date last week."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we are in the privacy of my own home," Regina said huskily as she held her glass in the hand closest to the back of the couch while running the other over her own stockinged knee. "I know what my second term of tonight is, so there is no need to remind me of that, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to avoid being too close to me, Emma."

Emma swallowed thickly, drinking in the sight of Regina and she had the seductive, sexual look perfected, that much she could see, but with the mixed signals she'd been getting since she showed up for dinner not that long ago, she wasn't sure what Regina wanted or what she expected from this low-key second date of theirs.

"So, what you're saying is you want me to kiss you right now?" Emma asked and that earned her a low, sensual laugh from Regina as Regina took her wine glass from her hand and placed it down next to her own on the coffee table. "But sex is off the table tonight, right?"

"Yes," Regina chuckled as she ran her fingers over Emma's shirt where it was partially unbuttoned. "And if you think that blatantly mentioning it like _that_ is going to get you anywhere with me, you clearly don't know me."

"No, I don't."

"But you do?"

"Yeah, I do," Emma grinned, not sure where things were going, but loving that Regina seemed to be loosening up, slowly yet surely. "Of course, you know, getting to know someone takes some time, doesn't it?"

"I suppose so."

"But don't you find it strange that we were so drawn to each other pretty much right away?"

"Speak for yourself, Ms. Swan."

Emma laughed and licked over her lips. Regina couldn't hide it from her that her feelings were very much the same, only for whatever reason, she was fighting them, holding herself back and putting this wall of sexual tension between them that was almost suffocating both of them.

"You can't or won't admit it's true, can you, Regina?"

"I am not answering that question," she replied stubbornly and Emma laughed, reaching out to pull Regina towards her until she was straddling her lap. "Now, can you put that pretty little mouth of yours to good use and just kiss me now?"

Emma complied, wanting nothing more than to kiss her with everything that she had, to feel that warmth bursting through her racing heart again. At least this time they were alone in the house and there would be no unwanted interruptions. The kiss started out soft and slow, Regina's hands coming to rest on Emma's shoulders as Emma placed her hand on her hips, pulling her closer against her as she shifted to lay down lengthwise on the couch with Regina on top.

And god, did she ever love having Regina on top of her. And under her. And this was definitely not helping her raging libido in not having this lead further than just kissing and not so innocent wandering hands touching and grabbing and clutching at one another.

Emma wasn't sure how long they'd been kissing for, but after a time, Regina pulled back completely and whispered a few words that Emma didn't hear too clearly at first. She found herself being pulled up from the couch and out of the den, her jacket thrust at her and she blinked blankly as she stood by the front door in front of a very flustered Regina.

"Huh?" Was their date over already? Emma had no clue what had just happened in what felt like the blink of an eye. "Regina, what are you doing? Do you want me to leave or—"

"Oh, are you being serious right now, Ms. Swan? You can't kiss me like that and not—"

Emma grabbed her, kissing her because her brain was fuzzy and she had no idea what the hell was going on. Kissing her seemed like the logical thing to do, of course. And she had no idea what had possessed her to keep a tight hold on Regina as she slid a hand up slightly parted thighs and under the hem of her tight black dress. Her fingers skimmed over her smooth stockings until she felt the warm skin beneath her fingertips.

If Regina didn't want this, she had every chance to stop her, to push her away. Instead, Regina clutched at Emma's shoulders and kissed her deeper as her fingers made a slow yet determined ascent up her inner thighs, teasing over her skin lightly before coming in to contact with silk panties and the wet spot that she found as she slicked her fingers over Regina's pussy through the thin material of her panties.

"Tell me to stop and I will," Emma murmured over her lips. "Tell me to stop and I'll go."

The only response she got in return was a needy, hungry kiss. She felt Regina tremble slightly as she slipped her fingers under the edge of her panties and slicked them over her wet, hot cunt with unhurried ease. Her own arousal swirled in the pit of her stomach and made her breath hitch in her chest. Regina's fingers dug hard into her shoulders as she teased over Regina's clit and bit down on her bottom lip before pulling back to watch her closely.

And what a sight it was in front of her, watching Regina's face show every bit of pleasure that Emma was making her feel with her teasing light touches, touching her but not quite enough. Emma knew she was pushing the boundaries. She'd pole vaulted over the boundaries, yet in that moment it seemed like neither cared, not until Emma's fingers became more insistent, touching her harder, her teasing touches no longer teasing as she eased two fingers inside of Regina's hot, clenching hole.

"Stop," Regina whispered, grasping at Emma's shoulders hard. "Emma, please. Not tonight."

Emma stopped immediately, not wanting to push her into going any further than they already had gone, but she knew from the flushed cheeks and the heavy way that Regina was breathing as she slipped on her red leather jacket that she had left the brunette just on the edge, almost so close to coming undone.

It would have the desired effect, Emma knew that much, because the woman she had fallen so easily for was becoming undone, in every way, and it was only a matter of time before those feelings were reciprocated completely. It would only be a matter of time and Emma would wait for however long that would take, even if that meant she stayed in Storybrooke indefinitely…


	9. Chapter 9

Regina had panicked because the moment she gave in to Emma completely, the moment she allowed herself just for one single second to believe that it was true, that Emma was her other half, her soul mate, her one true love, she felt the curse break, just like that. And then she found herself rushing Emma out the door before the likely angry mob of citizens marched to her front door, after her for revenge of what she'd done to them.

Of course, with Emma Swan, she was quickly finding her to be quite unpredictable and she realized that in the moment of getting her out of the door when it had been delayed by the insistent blonde and her insistent hand and fingers that teased her until she'd given in and allowed herself, just for a moment, to indulge in the feel of being touched so intimately. As a queen, she had never allowed any of her suitors to touch her in such a way unless she had specifically instructed them to and even then it had never felt as intimate as the way it had when Emma's fingers had first slipped past the barrier of her damp, silk panties.

Even in her panic, almost half an hour later, she was still incredibly aroused. It hadn't helped that in the moment she had broken her own curse with her own kiss of true love, Emma touching her, kissing her, had brought her magic back, even if just a little bit. She could feel it bristling under her skin, slowly yet surely getting stronger by the moment, fuelled by her own swirling emotions and dripping desire for the blonde Savior she had so hurriedly rushed out the door in a panic.

Panicking seemed to be the general theme of the last half an hour and when her calls to Granny went unanswered, she was worried about Henry. Surely nobody would hurt him, _he_ hadn't done anything to any of them and he was only her son. It still didn't stop the wave of nausea from rolling through her as she scrambled to change out of her little black dress and into something less constrictive if it came down to needing to run to her vault and hide there, likely for an indefinite amount of time.

Regina grabbed her keys, her purse and her phone as she moved to peer out the windows of her dark house. The street was quiet and not a single soul was anywhere near her property, but she just wasn't taking that chance. She jumped when her phone rang and she fished it out of her purse and answered it quickly without looking at the caller ID.

"Henry?"

"Regina, it's me," Emma said in a rush. "Can you tell me why there are about thirty people with torches and pitchforks coming through town right now?"

"What? Where in town exactly?"

"I'm sitting in the cruiser at the end of your street and they're coming this way."

"Emma, I need you to stall them."

"What?"

"They're coming for me," Regina whispered into her phone so quietly she doubted Emma heard her say a word.

"Is it just me or did everyone just lose their freaking minds? They're chanting "kill the Evil Queen" and shit, they are _pissed_, Regina. What the hell is going on?!"

"Forget trying to stall them," Regina said in a rush as she exited the house quickly and slipped into her car. "I need you to go and get Henry. He's at Granny's, she was watching him tonight for a few hours. I tried to call and she—she won't answer the phone, Emma."

"Yeah, probably because she's leading this insane mob down Main Street right now!"

This was worse than Regina could have ever imagined, although she never did quite imagine what would happen had the curse ever been broken. Not until she had talked to Gold and found of that a wish for her to find her one true love had completely changed everything and defied the very laws of magic and the curse itself.

"Regina, are you in your car?"

"Yes," she said as she backed the car out of the driveway, the tires skidding on the pavement as she hit the gas. "Emma, find Henry and make sure he's safe. Please?"

"Of course, but you need to tell me what the hell is going on—"

Regina ended the call, driving quickly through the streets to the cemetery, barely missing a tree as she slammed on the breaks and clamoured to get out of the car and into the safety of her vault quickly, before the angry mob she had no doubt was headed her way figure out that she was not inside her house at all.

They'd still probably burn it to the ground, with or without her inside.

* * *

Henry had watched with wide eyes as Granny had rallied up all that had been inside the diner. He had been sipping hot cocoa and reading comic books when the diner had suddenly fell quiet. Everyone all around him looked so dazed, so confused, and then it was complete and utter chaos and he could not _believe_ what he was seeing unfold before his very eyes.

Before he had ended up at the only place he felt safe, he watched as the people all around him in the diner blinked in confusion, almost as if they had woken up from a dream. He clutched at his backpack, the Once Upon A Time book inside as it always was and looked at the teacher, Miss Blanchard, who had given him that very same book, run towards Ruby and they threw their arms around each other.

"Snow!"

"Red!"

Henry had only clutched at his backpack tighter as more names, names from his book were called out and he honestly couldn't believe it was happening in a blink of an eye. He was sitting there in utter amazement, mostly staring at Snow White as she moved to stand in front of the gathering crowd and tried to quiet them down. She had talked of the curse being broken and that they would need to find out just how it had been broke. She talked about the Savior, her daughter, how she was supposed to have been the one to break them all free from the dark curse itself, but the crowd was growing restless quickly and Henry felt uneasy.

"She needs to pay!" Granny shouted as she stood in front of Snow White. "The Evil Queen needs to pay for what she has done to all of us!"

"Granny, right now, everyone is so very confused. Yes, she needs to pay for her crimes and yes she must suffer horribly for what she has put us through, but—"

"Pay for her crimes?" Granny yelled at Snow White. "The only way she needs to _pay_ is by death. Who is with me? Who," she said as she turned to the clamouring crowd, "is with me?"

Henry shrinker back against the counter as the roaring shouts from every single person in the diner rang in his ears. He went unnoticed as he slipped out of the diner and he had started running as hard and fast as his feet would take him. And that was how he ended up at the castle, curled up in one of the 'towers' where if anyone happened to walk by, they would never even know he was there. The night had grown crisp and cold and he shivered as he clutched his backpack tight against his chest and tried not to cry.

It was never supposed to happen like this, he knew that much. He knew because he had overheard his mother and Mr. Gold talking over the past week, purposely eavesdropping when his mother had instructed him to stay in the car. Of course he didn't stay in the car, and he would walk around to the back door of Mr. Gold's shop and he could hear them through the thin windows, discussing everything from the dark curse to the Savior to a wish having been made, a wish that had been powerful enough to cause his own mother to forget, only just briefly who she was. And he had learned that had she not found her trigger, the curse would've been broken within days, not a week.

It was his wish for her to find her one true love that had broken the kiss and just for a moment, he was happy because he knew from the things he'd overheard between his mother and Mr. Gold that they only way that would ever be able to happen is if they both believed the other to be their True Love. If the curse was broken, that meant his mother believed Emma to be her one true love, but even as happy as he wanted to be in that moment, he was scared and alone.

He shivered as he could hear the sounds of an angry mob moving through town, coming closer but not in his direction. Towards his house, where his mother was, where his mother and Emma were having dinner together. Did she know that the curse was broken? Did she tell Emma everything? Henry frowned, knowing it was him who should've told Emma everything once he'd figured it out because that was the way it was supposed to be. Not like this.

The tears slid down his flushed cheeks as he curled up on the platform and melded his shivering body around his backpack. As he listened to the sounds of the people chanting, "Kill the Evil Queen!", he cried harder and wondered if making that wish had been nothing more that a mistake. A really _huge_ mistake.

* * *

Emma drove the cruiser around the crowd carefully and pulled into the Mills' driveway, darting out and standing on the front step as the crowd poured on to the front lawn, torches blazing, voices yelling, tempers flaring and their chanting slowly as Emma held up her hands, signalling for them to stop right where they were.

What the hell was going on? Emma had been sitting at the end of Mifflin street after she'd left Regina, fighting with her own urges to go back to see Regina. Their date was over. Beyond over, but she hadn't moved. She had just been sitting in the cruiser when she started to see torches coming her way on Main Street. A crowd of thirty people, maybe more, were headed her way and as soon as she heard the chanting, she had called Regina in a panic.

But she didn't get any answers, just a pleading Regina to find Henry and keep him safe. But as the mob passed by her cruiser, she had a sinking feeling that wherever they were going, they were going to end up at 108 Mifflin Street and she, as a deputy, had to stop them before any of them did anything rash and irresponsible.

"Everyone just quiet down!" Emma yelled over the crowd and she clicked the safety off on her gun, pointing it to the sky, ready to fire just to get their attention. "Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here and why you are all storming the Mayor's house with torches and pitchforks?"

"The Evil Queen must pay for what she's done to us! She must pay for casting the curse and taking us from our home, for ruining our lives!"

"She killed my family! They were innocent!"

"The Evil Queen needs to pay for her crimes! Kill the Evil Queen!"

Emma's head was spinning as everyone in the crowd started shouting how the Evil Queen had ruined their lives individually. The hand that Emma held the gun in was shaking and she clicked on the safety as she tried to absorb what was going on around her. The whole town, or at least this crowd, had surely lost their minds, yet what surprised her the most was seeing Granny and Ruby in the crowd as well, shouting just as loud the very same things the others were saying.

Emma grew alarmed at seeing Granny within the mob, seemingly the leader of said mob. She was supposed to be watching Henry tonight and if she was here, where was the kid? Now her only worries were just where Henry was and she knew that Regina had fled from her house and she wondered just where she had ended up as well.

Had Henry really been right about that book of fairytales? She knew he hadn't told her a whole lot about it, but he believed and if he believed then…then what? Emma felt nauseous as she swayed on the front step of the Mills' house, her vision blurring in the light of the torches in front of her and the voices of the mod quieted down suddenly and as she blinked, she saw her new friend, Mary Margaret, moving through the crowd, each person parting for her to walk to the front and she stood on the step just in front of Emma and raised both hands.

"Everyone, please quiet down. I know you are angry, we are all very angry and confused right now, but this?" She said as she waved behind her. "This is not the right way to do things here. The Evil Queen will pay for her crimes, but she will endure a trial first."

"Are you joking?" A fat, short and stout man yelled out. "A trial?"

"Everyone, no matter what they have done, they deserve a fair trial."

"Mary Margaret, what the hell is going on?" Emma asked as she pulled at her shoulder so the woman would turn to face her. "Seriously, did someone like drug the entire town or something? Everyone is acting _crazy_ right now."

"Emma—"

"I need to find Henry, Regina asked me to find him and make sure he's—"

"Regina asked you to find Henry?" Mary Margaret asked with wide eyes. "Why would she—Emma, do you even know _who_ she is?"

"Let me guess," Emma said, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "She's the Evil Queen, isn't she?"

"Emma—"

"This is _insane_!" Emma yelled at her friend. "Would you all just listen to yourselves right now? The Mayor is not the Evil Queen because the Evil Queen isn't real, she's fictional!"

"Emma, please," the brunette urged gently as she stood in front of her, her back to the mob still gathered on the front lawn. "I know you don't understand right now, but if you just let me explain what is going on I—"

"Explain? How are you going to explain any of this?"

"Emma, please," Mary Margaret pleaded. "Oh Emma, my darling daughter…"

Emma jumped away from her, her eyes wide as she shook her head. Yes, everyone was clearly insane or she herself had lost her mind somewhere between leaving Regina's house and sitting in her cruiser at the end of the street. She watched as Mary Margaret reached out for her, tears burning in her eyes, and Emma ran, she ran across the lawn to the cruiser and jumped in, tires squealing as she backed up and the engine roaring as she hit the gas and fled down the street and away from the mob of clearly insane people who had flocked to Regina's house, claiming that she was the Evil Queen when the Evil Queen was a fictional character that didn't _exist_.

Her heart was hammering in her chest as her thoughts immediately shifted to Henry. Determined to find him, to make sure he was safe and hadn't been exposed to the craziness she'd just seen and heard herself, she had a lingering feeling deep in her gut that she knew exactly where she was going to be able to find him. She made the turn and headed towards the park, the breaks squealing as she slowed down quickly and jumped out of the idling cruiser and ran towards the wooden castle.

"Henry!"

"Emma?" Henry called out quietly. "Emma!"

"You okay, kid?" Emma asked as she climbed up and found him curled up on the floor, clutching his backpack and shivering. She frowned as she helped him to his feet before she picked him up and carried him down into the warm cruiser. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know what's going on."

"Me neither, kid."

"Can you…take me home?"

"Yeah, about that…" Emma trailed off, not sure how to tell him about the things she'd just seen herself. "I can't take you home, kid, and right now I can't tell you why, but we need to find your mom right now. Any idea where she would go?"

"She's not at home?"

"No."

"Were they…coming for her?"

Emma didn't answer him as she pressed her lips tightly together. "Henry," she said sternly and watched his face as a look of realization dawned on him. As soon as he told her where his mother might be, she turned the cruiser around and headed for Storybrooke Cemetery across town, neither of them speaking, both of them lost in their own confused thoughts as the minutes slipped past them quickly.

* * *

Gold wasn't the least bit surprised to open the door to his shop to none other than Snow White after he'd heard the mob flood down Main Street not long before that.

"Snow White and her seven dwarves, what brings you here tonight?" He asked as he peered at the seven men standing faithfully behind their Queen. "It seems you are missing your husband, aren't you, Snow?"

"I will find him," she said determinedly. "But right now, that's the least of my concerns."

"Is it now, dearie?" Gold chuckled, unmoving from where he stood in the doorway, not allowing for them to enter just yet. "What can I do for you, dear Snow White? I supposed you've come to me, thinking I have the answers as to what broke this curse, hmm?"

"You know," she said, her tone accusatory as she stared at him hard, a far cry from the timid look she had as the school-teacher Mary Margaret Blanchard, he noticed. "It was Emma, wasn't it? She broke the curse, just as it was foretold she would, didn't she?"

"Yes, dearie, your _darling daughter_ broke the curse, a year too early I must confess. How, you wonder?" He asked, giggling as he watched the emotions flutter over Snow White's face. "I believe you know how such a curse can be broken."

"True Love's kiss."

"Yes, quite right you are, dearie."

Snow White's eyes flashed in anger as she surged forward, grabbing the front of his suit jacket with both hands as she pushed him inside his dimly lit shop, her loyal dwarves following them inside. "Who was it?"

"Oh, why would I ruin that fun little surprise," Gold chuckled throatily. "I can give you a few hints, however, but I'll leave the rest up to your imaginative little mind."

"Rumplestiltskin—"

He swatted her hands away and smooth his hands over his now crinkled suit jacket. "Hint number one, your daughter has been quite enamoured with someone in this town since the day she arrived here," he said and he watched Snow as she stood stock still in front of him. "Hint number two," he giggled, unable to help himself because it was just too _good_ and too much of a coincidence that Snow White's daughter, the Savior, had broken the curse by sharing a True Love's kiss with the Evil Queen. "Your darling little daughter seems to have found her one true love here in town in the short span of a week."

"Who is it?"

"Hint number three," he continued, unable to keep the sneer off his face as he watched the tension inside of Snow White building at an alarming rate. "It is another woman, but of course you already knew that, didn't you, dearie? I do recall that you and your very own daughter have become fast friends since her arrival here and that she has spoken to you about the fact that she has a mystery woman she has been courting, has she not?"

Grumpy pushed forward and placed himself between his Queen and Gold, his temper flaring as he stared the Dark One down with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Enough with the hints, you imp! Tell us what we need to know! Tell us how the Savior broke the curse!"

"Fine, if that is what you wish! Your Savior found her one true love with none other than the Queen, the Evil Queen," he said simply, his face almost expressionless as he struggled to contain his delight at seeing his words unravel at Snow White's nerves and emotions. "Ah, but that is only the beginning. Surely you would like to know how it was possible for her to come here a year too early, breaking the curse despite the future having already been foretold decades ago."

"Emma and…no," Snow shook her head. "No, it's not possible. It's not true! You're lying!"

"Am I, dearie?" Gold asked, a challenge in his voice as Grumpy stepped away from standing in between the two of them. "What brought her here was a wish, a wish made now for Emma, but for the Queen to find her one true love, a wish made presumedly at the exact moment Emma Swan was about to drive past the town, a town that didn't exist, and she crossed the barrier when no other have in twenty-seven years. And you know what I am saying is true, because nothing other than a True Love's kiss could break the dark curse the Queen cast decades ago."

"No…no…" Snow White sobbed as she reached out to Grumpy who grabbed a hold of her as her knees went weak. "This can't be happening…you're lying…"

"Am I? The curse is clearly broken, is it not?"

"But—"

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Gold said as he reached for the small suitcase he had packed and picked it up from the floor. "I have some rather urgent business to attend to. I am leaving town and although I would love to see what comes of all of this, I'm sure you will all find your happy endings one way or another. Just as I am to find a part of my own."

"Rumplestiltskin—"

He strolled past Snow White and her seven dwarves, leaving them standing almost dumbfounded in his dimly lit shop. With a smile on his face, he walked to his car. Despite the turn of events, the unpredictable turn of events in an otherwise predestined future, he was now on his way to finally find his son after waiting decades upon decades to be reunited with him.

Curse the rest of them and the fallout that was to become of that sorry little town. He cared not what happened to any of them or how they dealt with the Evil Queen. The curse had only been created for one reason and one reason only and that was for him to be able to find his long, lost son, not to stay behind and meddle through the inevitable mess that would follow the breaking of the dark curse.

No, he wouldn't stay, no matter how tempting it truly was to see how devastated Snow White was to find her daughter, her very own daughter that was placed in that wardrobe just so she would one day save them all, had done just that by a True Love's kiss. With the Queen herself.

What a story that truly made and one he no longer would be a part of. It was a story with a happy ending that nobody, not even the most powerful seer's could've ever seen. It was a brand new fairytale in itself and despite not being there to see how it ended, he already knew.

He already knew they would find that happy ending together. Just like he was about to find his.

* * *

"Regina?"

She sighed heavily as she leaned against the cool, damp stone wall in her vault as Emma's voice rang out from above in the family crypt. Regina wiped at her tears as she pushed herself away from the wall and moved to stand at the bottom of the stairs. Her father's casket hid the entrance to the vault and even though it, she heard Emma continuously call out for her.

"Regina, come on, I know you're in here somewhere! Where are you?"

"Mom?"

Henry. Regina's heart clenched in her chest. What would he think of her now that he most likely knew the truth about who she was? Would he hate her? Would he still love her despite it all? And what about Emma? What did she know? Would she hate her too? Would she not feel the same way as she had before the curse was broken? Regina was far too afraid to find out.

Regina backed up against the wall by the stairs as she heard the casket being pushed to reveal the opening underneath. How they'd figured it out didn't cross her mind, but the fact that she heard footsteps running down the stone steps and saw Emma run past her before she skidded to a stop and turned to her.

"Regina!" Emma said as she pulled her into her arms. "Are you okay? What are you doing down here?"

"Emma—"

"The whole town has lost their damn minds," Emma continued and she leaned in to kiss her, but Regina just stopped her by turning her head at the last second and Emma's lips landed on her tear stained cheek. "Regina?"

"Mom!" Henry cried out as he descended down the last of the steps and threw his arms around both of them. "Mom, what's going on?"

Regina shook her head as she untangled herself from both of them. They had matching expressions on their faces and she found herself laughing in disbelief at just how alike they truly were. Her hands were shaking and she could feel her magic growing far stronger now that Emma was there, now that Emma had touched her and had kissed her. She was struggling to keep herself under control, struggling to stay poised like the Queen she truly was. But she was falling apart so quickly and she didn't know how to stop. She was afraid, for the first time in a very long time she was truly afraid of what waited outside the safety of her vault.

In her moment of weakness she had believed long enough for the curse to break and now she wasn't sure, she wasn't sure of anything anymore other than the woman who stood in front of her, green eyes searching for her own, hands reaching out to touch her, to hold her, and she wouldn't allow it to happen.

"Mom?" Henry tried again and Regina blinked through her tears. "Tell me what's going on, please? Why are they calling you the Evil Queen?"

"Because it's true."

"This is insane!" Emma exclaimed as she started to pace and Regina could not just see, but feel everything that Emma was feeling in that moment. She was being torn in every direction at the moment and she still didn't truly believe in what the truth really was now that everything was right there in front of her and Regina had no doubt she'd heard things that would truly sound insane to anyone that didn't know of the dark curse she'd cast. "Have you completely lost your mind too, Regina? I mean, I thought our date was going so well tonight and then you pretty much threw me out of your house—"

"Emma," Regina said gently, reaching out for her to stop her annoying pacing, to try to get her to calm down because she certainly did not like the fear she felt coming off of Emma in wave. "Please, just listen to me for a moment."

"Emma?" Henry tried as he reached out for her hand. "I think you're ready now."

"Ready? Ready for what?!"

Regina looked down at her son, sweet little Henry, and the look of understanding in his eyes made her heart swell and break at the very same time. He believed. He had believed for who knew how long and the book he treasured so deeply had a big part of why he believed everything that had unfolded in the last hour.

"Tell her everything, Mom," Henry said quietly. "Tell her everything and start from the beginning. She needs to know. She needs to know _who_ she is. Who everyone is. Who you are."

"Henry," Regina started as she turned to her son, her sweet little prince. "Can you let me talk to Emma alone?"

"But—"

"I need for you to go back up there and keep an eye out in case anyone comes here. Please, my little prince, I need you to do this for me."

If Henry had felt any different about her than he had before, it didn't show, not with the smile he gave her and not with the tight hug she suddenly found herself in. She leaned down and kissed him lovingly on his head before watching him scramble up the stone steps. With a flick of her wrist and some concentration, she had her father's coffin back in place, closing the two of them inside the vault with Henry standing watch above.

It was a little while before Regina finally gathered up her courage and got a hold of her swirling emotions and the ones she felt coming from Emma, before she started to tell her everything, starting at the very beginning of when her mother had killed her first love in front of her very eyes because a young Snow White had betrayed her and told her secret. She told her of the path of darkness her life had taken from that point on, the things she had done, from killing Snow White's father, to small villages of people who betrayed their Queen, keeping her from finding Snow White and killing her. She told Emma everything, even how she had killed her own father in order to enact the dark curse on the entire Enchanted Forest, bringing them all here to this world, completely oblivious to who they were.

Time had stood still for all of them until Emma had come into town a year early. Because of a wish, a wish for true love. She wasn't sure how to explain it, finding herself pausing more often than not, and all the while Emma, who had stopped pacing, stared at her as she sat down heavily on the stone steps with a shake of her head.

She told her how that when she had come to town, she had forgotten who she truly was as well because of the wish that had been made. She told her how that when she read the book that Henry carried with him everywhere and treasured and believed the stories to be true, that it was the trigger that broke the spell that had befallen on her, that had taken her memories and made her forget her true self.

Regina, feeling bolder as the words continued to come out, told her how she had spent a week fighting her feelings, her emotions, fighting everything she felt for her because of who she was, the Savior, Prince Charming and Snow White's daughter. Her voice grew soft as she told her the story of her own birth, how she was born the night the curse had hit and how her parents had put in her the wardrobe so she could become the Savior and one day find them and save everyone the curse had affected.

Emma said nothing as she stared blankly at the stone floor in front of her as she leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Regina tried to tell her everything, tried not to leave a single thing out and for the life of her, she had no idea why on earth she felt so compelled to tell the Savior the truth when it wasn't meant to be this way, as Rumplestiltskin himself had told her days before. The Savior was to find out everything on her own, with the help of her very own son, and it was her believing in it all that would nearly break the curse, and of course a kiss of true love to end it, once and for all.

"I know how hard this is to believe, Emma," Regina finished as she watched Emma rise to her feet slowly. "I know this sounds completely insane, but you have to feel that it's true. Deep down, I know you feel that everything I just told you is true."

"Yeah," Emma frowned as she threaded her fingers through her hair.

"I will understand if you want nothing to do with me from this point on, now that I've told you all that you need to know. I will understand if you feel differently for me as well because—"

"Regina?" Emma said as she suddenly had her hands cupping Regina's face, her touch soft and sure as she stared into Regina's eyes. "Say it is true, say _all_ of it is true," she said and she inhaled deeply as she pressed her lips against Regina's briefly. "It doesn't change what I feel when I am with you. But can I ask you something? Does it change how you feel about me?"

"No, it doesn't. As much as I wanted it to before, it truly does not change how I feel as well."

"You're scared, aren't you?"

"Terrified."

"Of me?" Emma asked adorably and Regina laughed, feeling herself almost at ease as she slipped her arms around Emma's waist without hesitation or resistance. "Really?"

"Of you, of me, of everyone else in this damn town. They want me _dead_, Emma, and I know they will stop at nothing to get their revenge for everything I've done to destroy their happiness."

Emma shook her head determinedly. "They aren't going to touch you. I won't let that happen."

"You'll be powerless against them all."

"No," she said, shaking her head again. "If what you say is true, I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. I think I do have some kind of power over all of them. I have a say in this too and none of them are going to touch the woman I love no matter what she's done in the past."

"Emma—"

"I do, you know. I do love you and I don't just love anyone as easily or strongly as I know I love you. I don't care what you did, or who you were, because I fell in love with who you are now."

Regina was shaking. Love was such a powerful word, a powerful emotion, and Emma spoke so easily of it like it wasn't as big of a deal as it truly was. Love. Did she love the blonde Savior? Did she truly love her even though neither of them had known each other any longer than a week? Despite it scaring her half to death, she knew it was true, she knew what she felt was real and she knew it was real because it wouldn't have broken the curse if it wasn't.

"As long as I am here, Regina, nothing is going to happen to you. I promise."

"I don't think that's something you have control over, Emma."

"Then I'll figure something out."

Regina smiled as she saw the sheer determination in Emma's eyes. She believed her too. She truly did believe that this woman, her one true love, would save her from the fate she so completely deserved to succumb to in the end.

Emma kissed her then, so deeply, so passionately, that Regina felt all her worries, all her fears, just slip away with the rest of the world as she kissed her back just as earnestly. It felt better to kiss her with her guard down, it felt exhilarating and left her feeling as if she were floating. Yet the sound of Henry's voice frantically calling out for them broke their moment and brought them crashing back to the very reality they had found themselves in.

Whatever would happen next, Regina wasn't sure, but as Emma slipped a hand in hers, she knew that whatever came next, the woman next to her, the woman she knew she loved without question, would do anything to stop anyone from trying to harm her, from trying to make her pay for all her crimes and all the things she'd done when she had been the Evil Queen. Because as of that moment, she was no longer the Evil Queen and hadn't been in a very long time and never would be again.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma Swan was beyond herself, beyond fighting the nagging doubts against the truth that lay in front of her very eyes as she faced the mob that had gathered in front of the Mills' family crypt. The mob itself had grown twice the size as it had been an hour ago when she had confronted them in front of Regina's house.

"Where is she?"

"Are you hiding her? Are you protecting the Evil Queen?"

"Get out of the way, she's dangerous! You don't know who she is!"

"Emma?" The sound of Mary Margaret's voice cut through the shouts from the mob and Emma watched as the pixie haired woman made her way to the front of the crowd. "Emma, what are you doing? Get away from her!"

Emma glanced behind her as Regina finally emerged from inside the crypt and stood behind her. She smiled adoringly at the terrified woman behind her and turned to face the woman who was apparently her very own mother and not the friend she had thought her to be. While she couldn't quite wrap her head around everything that Regina had told her, as Mary Margaret laid a gentle hand over her shoulder, she felt that recognition register deep inside her very soul, the recognition of the truth behind the words Regina had said.

_"Your parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma, and you are the product of True Love. I know you can't believe it, but it is the truth and you need to know that, accept it no matter how hard it is for you to do that. You need to believe because you are the Savior, Emma. You were sent here to this world hours after you were born because it was you who was predestined to break the dark curse."_

Even now, as conflicted as she was, Regina's words and the feeling she had felt during that moment of recognition had her faltering, her determination to protect Regina almost fleeting at the rush of emotions that took flight in her body.

"Emma—"

"No," she said as she shook the pixie haired woman's hand off her shoulder and moved to stand closer to Regina, her hand finding hers easily and she intertwined their fingers. "No, I won't get away from her, Mary Margaret. As for all of you, what the hell do you think you're doing? You can't just come after someone with torches and pitchforks, yelling about how you want to _kill_ her! This isn't…this isn't the same place as where you are all from! Justice is handled differently in this world and if any of you choose not to obey the laws that are in place, I'll have no other choice but to arrest you and throw you in jail. Now," Emma said through heavy breaths as she never once letting go of Regina's hand, instead she held it tighter. "I want you all to leave and go home and whatever revenge that you're seeking—"

"Are you siding with the Evil Queen?" Mary Margaret asked as the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves. "Emma, what are you doing? Just please, come away from her. She's obviously cast some kind of a spell on you—"

"Stop it!" Emma yelled out and the crowd grew silent again. "Look, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this, around the curse and the fact that you people are fairytale characters from another land, but right now you are threatening the woman that I am in love with and that makes me very, _very_ dangerous. And trust me when I tell you that you do not want to piss me off right now, because I don't think any of you know just what I am capable of."

"Nor what I am capable of as well," Regina said sharply, her voice even and directed at the mob that was slowly beginning to back away from the Mills' family crypt.

"She has her magic back!" Someone yelled and a few people started to move away quickly, running in the direction they had come, most of them dropping their torches and pitchforks and other weapons as they fled as quickly as their feet could take them.

Emma caught sight of Regina rolling her eyes, the remaining crowd thinning out until all that stood there in front of the crypt was Mary Margaret, Granny, Ruby, and Henry who stood between his two mother's and the others.

"Emma, please," Mary Margaret pleaded as she reached out for Henry to pull him away from the two women standing together, hand in hand in front of the crypt doors. "You have no idea how dangerous that woman is or what she is capable of doing to you. She could kill you in an instant, Emma. Please, just—"

"I would most certainly not kill her, Snow White, despite what you are possibly thinking at this moment. This has _nothing_ to do with you, although there has been a few moments that I wish it truly was," Regina said through a snarl that curled over her lips. "You destroyed my happiness once and I will not let you destroy it again."

"You," Granny said as she stepped forward only to be held back by Ruby. "You need to pay for what you've done, witch!"

Emma felt Regina tense beside her and she looked at her, watching her pale as her confidence wavered. "Hey," she whispered as she turned to face the brunette fully. "Regina, hey, stay with me," she said as she reached up with her other hand to cup her cheek gently. "I won't let them harm you in any way. I promised you that and I will keep that promise no matter what it takes."

"Emma…"

"I don't care what you've done or who you were before, who these people still think you are," she said and she paused to look at the others watching their exchange in both fascination and fear. "I don't care because I love you," she continued, those three little words just falling past her lips with such ease that it still surprised her. She blinked past her tears, tears that mirrored Regina's own and she pressed their lips together tightly just for a moment before whispering the words again. "I love you."

Her fingers slid through Regina's short, soft hair to the back of her head and she kissed the woman with such longing, with such passion that she almost forgot they were in the presence of a captive audience, one that wanted Regina, the former Evil Queen, dead.

Regina's lips trembled against hers as they parted slowly, their eyes instantly locked in an intense gaze that had Emma's heart racing. This time it was Henry who stepped forward and broke the thick silence that had enveloped them all the moment Emma had kissed Regina.

"I made the wish," he announced and Emma watched Regina's eyes widen in surprise in hearing him say just that. "I made a wish upon a star one night a week ago that my mom would find her one true love so she could be happy again. It came true! Both of my wishes came true!"

"Both?" Emma asked as she moved away from Regina, but didn't let go of her hand, fearing what would happen if she did. "What other wish did you make, kid?"

"For you," he said quietly. "I wished that you would find me, Emma. I just never thought it would happen this way or that it would ever come true. But it did! Both of my wishes came true and now everything is falling apart because everyone wants my mom dead! Everyone except me and you!"

"Henry…"

"No!" He yelled, rendering those that were left standing there completely silent. "I don't care what you did in the past, Mom, just like Emma doesn't care because that is not who you are now! You don't deserve to die because they want you dead for what you did to them!"

Emma watched as some of the mob started to come back, taking a stand behind Granny, Ruby, and Mary Margaret. There were murmurs of discussion as Henry stared them down with a glare that matched one of Regina's when she was angry. Emma kept a tight grip on Regina's hand as the crowd began growing louder, arguments breaking out amongst small groups of people.

"Did you just say that the Savior, the one who was supposed to save us, has fallen in love with the Evil Queen?"

"That is preposterous!"

"She's Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, she can't fall in love with the Evil Queen!"

"That is enough!" Snow White yelled to the crowd as she moved to stand in front of Emma and Regina, her hands held out in front of her as the crowd grew silent. "I think, right now, just for tonight, we should all return to our homes and settle down. We will deal with this situation in the morning! I know none of you are in agreement and I certainly don't agree with the turn of events that have taken place, but tonight is not the time to deal with—"

"What, and risk that the Evil Queen is going to flee before she can be tried for her crimes?" Granny asked and the crowd was in complete agreement with her. "No, Snow White, I'm sorry, but we're not just going to let her walk away free. You, Swan, you're the Sheriff's deputy. Arrest her this instant!"

"No!" Emma and Henry said in unison. "No," Emma repeated. "I will not arrest her because she is not going to flee."

"How can we trust you?" One man asked, sneering as he pointed at her and Regina.

Emma's head was spinning and if she hadn't been holding on to Regina's hand, Regina acting as her anchor, she was sure she wouldn't have been able to stay standing for much longer. As the crowd began clamouring again, moving closer and closer to Emma, Regina, Henry, and Mary Margaret, it was Regina that pulled the three of them into the crypt and the doors slammed shut quickly with a wave of Regina's hand.

"What are you doing?" Mary Margaret asked, her voice raising several octaves and definitely nothing like the woman that Emma had been hanging out with for the past week. "Are you out of your mind, Regina?"

"They will attack no matter what you say to them, Snow," Regina said and she let go of Emma's hand and smoothed both her palms against her pants. "They are out for blood and will not stop until they get what they came for. Me."

"No," Emma said, shaking her head as tears burned in her eyes. "I won't let them kill you, Regina! This is not the way!"

"No, it isn't," Mary Margaret said quietly. "You've done a lot of evil things, Regina, but you do not deserve to die because of them."

"Do they believe that? No," Regina snapped and Emma could feel the anger as if it were her own and she could taste it as well. It was bitter, like rotten apples. "You can try to rule over them as you had before the dark curse, but they will not obey you while your husband is not at your side as he always was before."

"Where is he?"

Regina swallowed hard as all three sets of eyes landed on her. "In a coma."

"A coma?!"

"I had to keep you two apart, seemed like the only way to make you suffer," Regina replied coldly, her words biting through the tension in the air like tiny little daggers. "As you are well aware, Snow, any curse can be broken by True Love's kiss."

"Like this one was? With my own daughter?!"

Emma stepped back, watching the two come face to face, their past weighing heavily between them causing tempers to flare and tension to rise rapidly.

"Of course you refuse to believe it's true," Regina countered. "You have always stood in the way of my own happy ending, haven't you, Snow?"

"I—"

"Not this time," Regina said in a voice that even left Emma trembling slightly, her tone so sharp and deep that she was trembling not because she feared her, but because it turned her on incredibly so. "The people want me to go on trial? I will go through this trial and I will fight for my life in any way that I can. For Henry and for Emma. But," she paused as she cast a quick glance over at Emma before continuing, "I do not want to be locked up in some kind of a cell while I await this trial. You will take my word that I will not flee from this town and that when the day comes, I will stand before you all and accept whatever punishment you all deem to be fit."

"Regina…" Emma reached out for her only to come face to face with a woman she barely recognized. "Regina, they're going to kill you, aren't they?"

"No," she said softly. "Snow White won't let them, _you_ won't let them."

"No, I won't," Emma smiled sadly at her. "I really won't. They'll have to kill me to get to you."

Mary Margaret cleared her throat, stopping them from falling easily into a kiss she obviously didn't want to stand witness to at the moment. "I will do what I can, but I am not doing this for you, Regina, I'm doing this for my own family. For Emma. Because after everything she's had to go through to get here to save us, ensuring that she has her happy ending, no matter who it is with, is the only thing I can do to make things right again."

Emma turned away from Regina to face the woman who was her mother, a woman who was nearly the same age as her, frozen in time because of a curse. She was still grasping at the truth, but she couldn't deny that feeling that it was all so very true.

"I'm doing this for you," Mary Margaret said quietly as she took Emma's hands into her own. "I know you are struggling to believe that any of this is real right now, but if you truly feel the way that you do about her, about Regina, then I can't tell you that what you feel is wrong. The only thing I can tell you is that I will try to do whatever I can to make sure that _you_ get your happy ending, Emma."

"How do you propose we get out of here?" Regina asked quietly, stepping in to whisk Emma away from Mary Margaret. "It's not as if we can all walk out of here and expect to walk past an angry mob without there being blood shed."

"Now that the curse is broken, you have your magic back, do you not?"

"Yes," Regina asked, her voice wavering as Emma reached for her hand again and held on to it tightly. "I do. It's different, a little unstable, but I do."

"As soon as I walk out those doors, seal it. Nobody will be able to get in and it'll give me enough time to get them away from here so you three can get out safely."

Emma watched a silent exchange happen between Mary Margaret and Regina, a silent agreement as small smiles appeared and with a nod of her head, Regina flicked her wrist, opening the crypt doors just long enough for Mary Margaret to slip through and with another flick of her wrist, they were sealed, a shimmer of light washing over the doors with a whoosh.

"Now what do we do?" Emma asked quietly.

"We wait, dear."

"Don't worry, Emma," Henry said as he approached them both after having hung back to watch the entire thing play out in front of him. "I won't let them hurt my mom either."

Emma and Regina both embraced their son and they waited, they waited until they no longer heard the mob outside of the crypt many hours later. Despite the events that had unfolded, Regina told Emma to take Henry back to her room at the Bed and Breakfast because she needed to be alone. She promised Emma she would be safe for the night and made her promise, just out of earshot of Henry, that if anything were to happen despite Snow White's promises, that she would take care of Henry for her.

Emma didn't want to leave her, to let her spend the night alone, but as Regina disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, she knew she had no other choice.

* * *

A month after Regina was put on trial, life seemed to return to somewhat normal in Storybrooke. It hadn't been easy to get to the point things were at now, but Emma was just grateful things had died down and the death threats against Regina had become few and far in between.

It had taken Emma weeks to fully come to an understanding of everything that Regina had told her down in the vault and everything else she'd been hearing from others in town, especially from the people who were her own parents—parents she had wished for throughout her whole childhood to come back for her. Although she felt uneasy referring to them as her own parents, it started to get easier as the days went by, but there was tension between them, tension because of Regina and the fact that no matter what they said, what they tried to convince her—even after Mary Margaret told her she wanted her to have her happy ending a month ago—Emma still stayed by Regina's side despite everything.

Two months after the curse was broken, Emma found herself finally alone with Regina for the first time since the night they broke the curse together. While they had been able to see each other almost on a regular basis, someone was always around, whether it was Henry, the Charmings, or someone else, being alone seemed like it would be utterly impossible.

"Hey," Emma smiled at Regina as she stepped through the front door of 108 Mifflin Street. "So, I finally convinced them to give me a few hours with you, alone."

"You are a grown woman, Emma, you shouldn't have to convince those two idiots to let you do anything. I don't even know why you've allowed them to prevent you from spending any time alone with me. It is just preposterous!"

Emma laughed as she wrapped her arms around Regina, pulling her in for a much needed kiss. When they parted, Regina sported a rather sour look on her face. "Those idiots," Emma said as she kept her arms firmly around Regina as she backed her way up to the foot of the stairs. "Are my parents, unfortunately, and they just don't seem to understand that I am totally, madly in love with you."

"I think it's not that they do not understand, they just don't want you to be in love with someone like me," Regina murmured as Emma leaned in to kiss her again. "You can do so much better than someone like me, dear. I know it and those idiots know it too."

"I don't have a choice," Emma whispered against her lips. "You are my one true love."

"Yes, I suppose that I am," Regina whispered and Emma's stomach fluttered as she felt Regina smile against her lips. It was the closest that Regina had gotten to saying those three little words back to her, but Emma knew how she felt. She didn't need to hear the words when she felt it in her heart.

"They'll get over it."

"And if they don't?"

"I am not going to stop seeing you," Emma said with sheer determination in her voice. "I love you, Regina, and not even the parents I forever thought had abandoned me because they didn't want me are going to keep us apart."

"I tried to kill your mother."

"I don't care."

"I poisoned her with an apple."

"Hmm," Emma said as she started to back her way up the stairs, pulling Regina with her. "I don't care about that either."

"I've killed countless of innocent—"

"Regina?" Emma stopped her with a single finger placed over her lips. "We've been over this a hundred times in the last couple of months and none of that matters to me because you are not that woman anymore, okay?"

"If I am not that woman anymore, than who am I?"

"You are Regina Mills," Emma said as they reached the top of the stairs and she continued to walk backwards, pulling Regina with her. "You are a mother, a friend, and a lover," she pulled her in for a brief kiss, smiling as Regina moaned the instant Emma pulled back. "You are mine," she said, sealing it with another brief kiss. "You are everything but that woman you used to be, Regina, and you know how I know that? Because you learned to love again. You left that darkness that lingered in your heart and your soul the instant you realized that you could let me in and love me the way that I love you."

Emma had gone through this very conversation many times with Regina, both of them trying to understand what True Love meant and how a complete stranger could fall in love with another before they even truly knew each other. After a while, Emma stopped trying to figure it out and just learned to truly embrace everything she felt with the woman that she now held in her arms. The very same woman she had yet to make love to in every way that she had been dreaming of for the last two months and she wasn't waiting another day, another week to make that happen.

"I want to show you," Emma whispered, feeling Regina's breath hitch in her chest as she stared deeply into Regina's brown eyes. "I want to show you just how much I love you, Regina."

"Emma…"

"Two months," she continued, her thoughts going back to the night the curse broke and the state that she'd left Regina in. From the look on Regina's face, she knew she had to be more precise in what she was referring to and instead of words, she moved a hand to cup Regina's center almost possessively through her tight slacks. "We have been together for two months and this is the first time we've been alone since that night."

Although they had spent quite some time finding small moments to themselves just like this, they had always been interrupted one way or another and Emma was tired of it. She was tired of being so sexually frustrated all the time and she'd had enough. She needed Regina. She needed every inch of her and she was going to have her tonight.

"Regina," she whispered as she rubbed over her, both of them clutching on to one another just a few feet from Regina's bedroom door. "Regina, can I…show you how much I love you, can I make you feel what I feel every time I am with you?"

"Only if I can too, my love," Regina whispered back, her own smile mirroring Emma's before their lips crushed together in a wildly passionate kiss, one that had Emma's body flush with arousal in mere seconds.

Emma smirked against Regina's lips as she moved her hand from between her legs and grabbed at the waistband of her pants, tugging her the rest of the way into the bedroom as they continued to kiss hungrily. She quickly found herself losing control as Regina slammed her roughly up against the open door, her hands snaking under her shirt and up to cup her breasts hard as they continued to completely devour one another, the kiss all lips and teeth and tongue.

Emma parted from Regina's lips as Regina pulled up at her shirt and practically ripped it off before their lips crashed back together and Emma was pulling at Regina's hips, desperate to feel her whole body flush against her own. Her naked torso was pressed against Regina's covered one, the soft silky material of her red blouse the only barrier between them. She tried to unbutton the shirt, her frustration imminent as Regina's hands palmed her breasts, fingers rolling over erect nipples and driving her need to get her out of the damned shirt.

"Emma!" Regina gasped as Emma pulled the blouse open, buttons clattering to the floor as she roughly pushed aside the offending material. "I cannot believe you just—"

Emma silenced her, kissing her hard in yearning as she slid her hands over the smooth expanse of Regina's stomach and up to touch her braless breasts. Two months of teasing. Two months of barely able to touch her like this and she had reached her breaking point. Emma reversed their positions, spinning Regina around against the door as she pushed the soft material away from her breasts as her lips trailed down Regina's neck quickly, her fingers back to teasing over Regina's hard nipples as she lowered her lips down to take one between her lips.

"Oh, Emma!" Regina moaned loudly, her hands moving to Emma's head as she arched into her mouth.

Emma groaned as she dragged her teeth over the hard nub, eliciting a sexy moan from Regina that had her sucking on her harder, her hands urgently pushing down her blouse as she pulled Regina into her, her lips and tongue lavishing hot open mouthed kisses across her skin as she reached her lips again. Her hands roamed over Regina's back and down across her perfect ass and to her thighs where she lifted her up suddenly and carried her to the bed, feeling the surprise and the arousal rushing through Regina and into her at that very moment. She knelt on the edge of the bed and laid Regina down, not once breaking away from her lips as she laid down with her.

"Emma," Regina murmured over her lips as Emma slipped a thigh between her legs, their bodies rocking together urgently, both desperately trying to feel every inch of one another.

"Regina," Emma whispered as she broke away from her lips suddenly. "Let me love you. Let me worship you like you deserve to be worshipped. I want to lick and kiss and taste every inch of your gorgeous body until you beg me to stop."

"Like I would ever beg you to stop. A queen _never_ begs her lover to stop, she merely begs for more, my love."

Emma chuckled throatily as she allowed herself, just for a moment to look down at the lust filled brown eyes that stared so lovingly up at her. "Do you really love me, Regina?"

"I do," Regina replied instantly, without any sense of hesitation. "I love you, Emma Swan, more than I ever imagined myself to be able to love another."

Emma smiled and rocked her hips against Regina's thigh and she buried her face into her neck as Regina turned her head to kiss up along her arm slowly, one hand moving to rest on her lower back and the other curled around her shoulders, holding her close. As Regina's mouth opened and sucked at the skin on her shoulder, she threw her head back as they continued to move against one another. Emma gasped when she suddenly felt her jeans and Regina's pants suddenly magicked away and she leaned back just enough to look down into Regina's lust filled eyes. Their breathy moans and sighs filled the room as there were no longer any barriers between them, nothing but skin upon skin.

Fully enjoying Regina kissing and sucking along her toned bicep and shoulder, Emma reached back with her right hand to pull Regina's leg over her hips, increasing the friction between them as thighs slipped against hot, wet flesh. Emma's nails dug into the backside of Regina's thigh as she pulled her tighter against her.

"Emma," Regina panted, her hot breath spilling over the tender flesh on her shoulder where she'd left her mark, the red, tender flesh causing another shockwave of pleasure to roll through Emma's body, bringing her closer to tumbling over the edge. "Fuck, Emma, don't stop."

"Fuck."

Emma loved it when Regina swore, which wasn't often, but the way that one single word rolled past her lips was almost enough to have her come undone completely. Emma exhaled a shuddering breath as the hand that was on her lower back moved between her legs, fingers exploring over her cunt for the first time. Despite that, Regina's fingers moved expertly over her clit, teasing her as Emma drove her thigh into Regina's throbbing cunt in time of the subtle yet urgent thrust of her hips.

"Touch me, Emma," Regina implored as her fingers teased their way inside her hot core. "Please. I-I need you to touch me, I want your fingers inside of me."

_Fuck._

Emma let go of Regina's thigh and pressed it down against the bed as she moved her hand between them and her fingers slipped through the wetness she found waiting for her. Emma captured Regina's lips with her own, moaning as she slicked her fingers over Regina's wetness, her breath coming out in gasps as she indulged in the feel of her and the way that Regina's fingers felt as they deftly slipped inside of her own cunt, matching Emma's thrusts, stroke for stroke as they continued to move against each other, lips crashing and tongues dancing endlessly.

Regina's moans were pushing her to the edge, and she loved every sound, every gasp that flooded past her kiss swollen lips. She licked over Regina's bottom lip, eliciting another breathy moan from her as she fucked her fingers harder and deeper inside of her quivering hole. They barely parted their lips, gasping as their eyes locked in an intense gaze.

Emma didn't let up as she relentlessly thrust her fingers inside of Regina, the heel of her palm grinding into her clit and she knew, she could just feel how close she was and all she wanted was for Regina to let go.

"Emma," Regina moaned as her fingers stilled, her whole body shaking at her orgasm flooded through her suddenly. "Oh god, Emma! Fuck!"

Emma was so close herself, but her focus was solely on Regina, watching as she came undone completely. The sight before her was completely beautiful, so beautiful it nearly stole her breath away. As their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss, Emma trembled against Regina's fingers as they thrust inside of her harder and faster, bringing her over the edge, hard and fast.

They held each other, clung to one another, kissing lazily as they rode out the aftershocks together. Emma smiled against Regina's lips, knowing she had never felt so connected to another before, not like this. It was intense and it was real and Emma could hardly stop the tears that fell from her eyes in that moment. Happy tears. She had everything she ever wanted, everything she never thought she'd had, right there in front of her and it hadn't been easy, it had been hard, almost impossible for the two of them to get to the exact moment they were in now.

"Emma?" Regina whispered, concern rising in her eyes as she lifted a hand to cup Emma's cheek softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma smiled. "Absolutely nothing."

"You're crying."

"Happy tears."

Regina smiled as Emma rolled on to her back and pulled Regina with her. She sighed contently as Regina slowly and softly kissed away the tears as they fell. Her lips didn't stop kissing over her skin and Emma moaned as Regina licked over the side of her neck and continued on a delicious descent down her body.

"Two months," Regina whispered over her skin, her eyes flicking up to look at Emma briefly before she dipped her tongue out to lick over a hard nipple. "Two months I have waited to taste you."

"Regina."

"Two long _fucking_ months your idiot parents have kept us from finding time alone together," Regina said, her words sharp and biting as they slipped past her lips. "That is never going to happen again, understood?"

"Clearly."

Emma's heart was racing as she watched Regina kiss and bite softly at her skin as she continued to mark a trail down her body with her lips and tongue. She inhaled sharply as Regina's tongue licked circles around her navel as she spread her legs for her, her whole body tight and ready to feel that tongue elsewhere and everywhere all at once. She gasped as Regina settled between her legs, moving to lean up on her elbows just to watch the gorgeous brunette trail her tongue over her hipbones, teasing her.

She chewed at her bottom lip as Regina continue to tease her, trailing her tongue over her left thigh before moving to do the same to her other. Wave after wave of arousal flooded through her and she groaned as Regina teased her tongue over her pubic bone and inhaled sharply, a moan fluttering past her lips as she looked up at Emma with sensual brown eyes. Emma barely could hold on to the smouldering gaze as Regina licked over her cunt, drinking her in as she moaned against her hot, wet flesh.

Her hips jerked up shakily as Regina licked over her again, her tongue moving slowly over her folds and teased over her throbbing clit. Emma threw her head back, her hands grasping at the bedspread as Regina's tongue worked her over, hitting every sensitive spot just right. Her toes curled as she spread her legs wider, stars shooting behind her tightly closed eyes as Regina spread her lips with her fingers and slipped her agile tongue deep inside of her.

Emma could feel it, she could feel the magic stirring inside of herself, because of Regina and for Regina and she could feel their souls intertwining as she grasped on to that feeling, those small electric blue shocks flowing through her body as Regina filled her with her tongue, her fingers circling and grasping at her clit, making her cum harder than the last, her voice screaming out Regina's name over and over again as the woman between her legs didn't let up, not for one single second until she was coming again, her whole body levitating off the bed for a moment until Regina's lips were on hers again, kissing her into oblivion.

* * *

Meanwhile, across town, Henry sat at the island drinking hot cocoa with cinnamon with Mary Margaret, smiling to himself as he too could feel the magic crackling through the air. While he was far too young yet to understand just what was behind the sudden spark of magic, he knew it came from his two mom's, from their happiness, from their love they had for each other.

When he had made that wish that night, he never could've imagined what would happen had it been granted, had it come true. There were times, small moments when everything seemed to be falling apart and he thought that it was a mistake to make such a strong, powerful wish such as one of True Love, but it was worth it all, through the ups and the downs and everything in the end because his mom had found her one true love.

And she was happy. Boy, was she ever _happy_.

"Henry?" Mary Margaret asked, her face flushing suddenly as she fanned at her face. "I think maybe you should stay over here tonight."

"Okay."

"And you and I are going to have a little talk about you making wishes, okay?"

"Okay," Henry grinned at his grandmother before taking another sip of his hot cocoa.

As the magic in the air intensified, he knew that if he had to do it all over again he would, because making a wish upon a star for true love had truly changed everyone's lives, saved the town from the curse and brought his mother the happiness and the happy ending that he knew she finally and truly deserved.

**THE END**

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, this story ended up being a lot longer than originally intended, but I had so much fun writing the last half of it that I simply could not wait to post it all! I would love to know what everyone thinks of this one because this is definitely one of my favourite stories of the hundreds of stories that I've written over more than half of my life :)**


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